Find Your Way Home
by Anna's Awkward You're Gorgeous
Summary: Modern AU: Elsa is left to take care of her 5 year old sister, Anna, after their absentee father and alcoholic mother abandon her. Elsa, who'd lead a life of solitude and anxiety up until this point, must set this aside to give her sister the childhood she never had, while keeping her sheltered from their parent's demons. Image by disney-rapunzel-merida-vanellope.
1. Sisters and Other Strangers

By the time Elsa got home that night, her feet were swollen beyond belief and she could barely keep her eyes open. Her day had started at six a.m. and hadn't ended until midnight. This schedule was hectic, but she was rather surprised at how quickly she'd acclimated to it.

School, work, homework, work again, shower, sleep, repeat. Maybe eat if she had the time, although her meals were usually had between classes or in the break room of the library.

After she double checked to make sure her locks were secure, she took off her shoes and slunk into the couch that served as a makeshift bed. She rubbed her eyes, looking around the dimly lit apartment.

The place was shabby. No matter how well she dressed it up, it wasn't even worth the paper the lease was printed on. But being a working student, it was all she could afford at the moment.

She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone, scrolling through all the messages she'd got while she scurried to type up her history term paper. She had two texts from her friend Hans asking if he wanted to catch a movie with him and his boyfriend and one missed call from her mother. She threw the phone across the room, not in the mood to deal with either of them, most of all, her mother.

Elsa was sure that at some point, their family was happy. That was, until her father had left back when she was eight. Their relationship had been on-again, off-again for as long as she could remember. And her father, albeit amicable, wasn't the best parental figure in the world. He wasn't even there all that much to begin with, for her or her mother. And while her father came in and out of their lives, her mother turned to alcoholism, spending her days buried in the couch watching One Life to Live and not taking her Prozac. Elsa had to grow up quickly, taking care of her mother, and essentially becoming the adult in the house. And to top it all off, her mother allowed her father back into the house and into their lives around her senior year of high school, this time, "for good." By the time she had turned 18, she'd had it. Too many nights crying and throwing things. Too many drunken screaming rages aimed at her for no good reason. Too many years of anxiety; wondering if the bills would be paid or if there'd be food on the table. And most of all, too many times watching her father hurt her mother and herself, with nobody paying heed to how Elsa might be doing. After she finished high school, she got a job, moved out of the house, and had no intentions of looking back.

Of course, until her mother called her one day, telling her that she was going to have a sister.

She had felt her stomach drop to the floor in disgust, that either of them thought they were in any position to raise another child. And Elsa knew she should've done something, anything to make sure her little sister's life wasn't ruined the way hers was. But their father was adamant – Elsa chose to leave the house, she chose to leave the family.

She'd only met her sister, whose name was Anna, on a handful of occasions. She looked more like their father than their mother – with red hair and almond shaped eyes – but had a sparkle in her blue eyes and a vivacity all her own. How such a sweet child could have come from such terrible people was a mystery of the universe. But Elsa could only pray that things were going okay, then push the thoughts out of her mind.

She had her own life to manage, and that was a chore in and of itself.

Elsa looked over to the clock once she'd dragged herself back out of her mind. It was a little after one. She was hungry, but if she went to bed now, she'd be able to get at least five hours of sleep, which was more than she usually got on a weeknight.

She grabbed two pillows from the floor and brushed the dust off of a blanket, ready to change into pajamas and slip into bed.

She heard a booming knock at the door, followed by a frantic cry.

"Elsa? Elsa, open the door now."

The voice was so filled with panic, she couldn't decipher who it was. Although she wondered who would bother her this late at night. Figuring it was the spastic neighbor wanting to use her phone, she got up and walked to the door, her bare feet padding against the cracking hardwood. She tossed her hair over one shoulder and stretched to look through the peephole.

It was her mother, with a cigarette between her lips and a bundle in her arms. Elsa sighed, and opened the chain lock and the deadbolt with shaky hands. She held a breath as she opened the door, coming face to face with her mother.

The woman look like she hadn't slept in days; her hair disheveled and her clothes wrinkled and covered in blood, sweat, and from the smell of it, booze. Her eyes were bloodshot and blotchy, her skin was pasty, and her lips were quivering.

She offered a smile to her oldest daughter, although it was empty and insincere.

"Hi Elsa," she said, "I'm sorry, I know it's late."

Elsa didn't say a word, trying not to betray her stoic composure.

"I called though, a couple hours ago."

Elsa shifted her feet, refusing to meet her mother's eyes, "I was working. I just got home a few minutes ago, actually."

"Oh, well then great," her mother said, putting out the remains of her cigarette on the frame of the door. Elsa wanted to remind her that she wasn't supposed to smoke anymore, and hadn't in years, but the pained look in the woman's eye held her back.

After a few painful moments of silence, Elsa begrudgingly spoke up.

"Do you…want to come in."

Her mother shook her head, shifting the bundle in her arms to keep it from slipping.

"No, I can't stay. Not for very long."

The bundle let out a whimper, and that caused Elsa to look down and see what it was. The blanket slid off to reveal the very flushed and sleeping face of her sister, who was cradled against her mother's bosom.

"Mom, what's going on? Is she okay?"

She let out a sigh and stood up straight, "Your father…you know how your father gets…"

'_Violent? Controlling? Drunk?' _Elsa finished in her head.

"We just…we got into a fight. An awful one. He accidentally woke Anna…"

'_Yelling or throwing something?' _she wanted to ask.

"And I just…I got her out of there before he could do anything he would later regret."

Elsa sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. No matter how drunk or angry their parents got, they'd never directed their violent outbursts at the girls as a rule.

The next thing out of her mother's mouth surprised her, "Elsa, can you take her for me?"

She shook her head, "Wait, what?"

"Just for a week, maybe a month," the woman continued as if she didn't hear her daughter's question, "It would be so much easier for all of us."

"Slow down, I'm confused," Elsa said, taking cautious steps into the hallway.

Before she could protest, her mother shoved Anna into her arms and started to back away.

"Your father has been under a lot of stress lately, Elsa. And raising a child takes work and money…"

'_Since when did any of that matter?'_

The vehemence in her mother's eyes told her that she'd accidentally said that sentence out loud.

"Elsa, you're her sister."

"And you're her mother!" she countered.

She was already backing away, "Elsa, please. I'm begging here. Just…just give me two weeks. Okay? Two weeks and everything will be okay and I'll come back for Anna. Can you please just do that for me?"

Elsa sighed, realizing she didn't really have a choice, "Fine. Two weeks."

"Two weeks," her mother said, turning away and heading back to her car.

Elsa stood in the doorframe, watching until her mother was in the vehicle and driving down the street, heading back to her train wreck of a marriage.

She was only brought back to the present when Anna started to stir in her arms.

"M—Mama?"

Elsa looked down to see bright turquoise eyes blinking up at her, trying to gain some recognition.

"Elsa? Where's Mama? And Papa?"

The girl tried to sit up, and Elsa adjusted her arms to accommodate that. She noticed that Anna was wearing a too large nightgown and didn't have any shoes on her feet.

'_In the middle of November, no less,' _Elsa figured, _'It figures as much.'_

She felt Anna tugging at the ends of her hair.

"Where's Mama and Papa?"

Elsa sighed, wrapping the blanket tighter around the girl's small frame.

"They're…" she started, unsure of how to phrase this, "You're just staying with me for two weeks."

"Why?" she asked.

Elsa looked down at the girl's face. She noticed the tear streaks staining her freckles.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully.

She pulled her sister closer to her and took her into the apartment and set her on the couch. Elsa sat on the opposite end, burying her face in her hands.

What was she going to do? She could barely afford to support herself, let alone a five year old on top of that. She could probably get a payday advance, but even at that, she wasn't sure if it would be enough.

It occurred to her that her mother didn't even bring Anna a change of clothes.

No, it would not be enough.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt a tiny finger poke her shoulder.

Elsa blinked, staring at the child for a good minute before her mind prodded her to ask what she wanted.

"W—what is it?"

"Is Mama gonna come back?"

Elsa bit her lip, already overwhelmed at the stress her mother had just put on her shoulder.

"Oh. Of, of course," she said uncertainly, "She said in two weeks."

Even Anna could sense the hesitance in her voice, but shrugged it off, likely in exhaustion.

Elsa wrung her hands, unsure of what do to next.

"Are you tired?" she asked. Anna nodded.

The older girl stood up, taking all but one pillow and blanket and tried to make a somewhat adequate bed for her sister. Once that was done, she awkwardly attempted to tuck Anna in.

"Is this where I'm sleeping?" she asked.

"Yes," Elsa said.

"Don't you have a bed?"

Elsa sighed, "No."

Anna giggled, "That's weird."

Elsa smiled, "I know. It is. Isn't it."

Once Anna was secure, Elsa took the leftover blanket and pillow and laid them out on the floor. She leaned over to turn out the light, stopping when she wondered if Anna needed a nightlight. Seconds later, she turned it off. Her father never would have allowed that when he's paying the power bill.

Elsa settled into the floor, lying on her back in an effort to get comfortable. When she heard Anna's breathing become rhythmic and even, Elsa began to nod off.

"Elsa?"

Her eyes shot back open.

"Yes?"

"Don't feel weird. I don't have a bed of my own."

A pang of hurt shot straight through Elsa's heart.

"Goodnight Anna," she said, her voice quivering.

"Night Elsa."

Elsa ignored the cool tears that fell down her face and she drifted off to sleep. And said nothing when she felt Anna crawl under her own blanket, opting to sleep snuggled at her side.


	2. Chocolate Pudding

**AN: I know this chapter is a little long, sorry about that. Still trying to find the rhythm of the story and all. Also thanks to all the readers and reviewers I've already gotten! You guys are amazing!**

Elsa's alarm went off at seven the next morning, but she hit snooze and turned over, being careful not to wake Anna, who was now tucked under her arm. She was too tired and frazzled to even think about attending class today. She sighed and threw her arm over her eyes, trying to block the sunlight out.

The events of the night hit her in a blurry rush – one minute she was an overburdened college student, the next she was the temporary caretaker for her younger sister whom she barely knew.

She really hoped that her mother would keep good on her promise to get Anna in two weeks. But she knew how this family worked all too well. She'd probably end up watching her little sister longer than she bargained for. Not that she minded, of course. At least she knew that the girl would be safe. But she wasn't an expert on child watching. She'd spent most of her childhood and adolescence in isolation; she could barely communicate with adults, let alone children.

But more to the point, she barely knew this child. She was her sister, but other than blood, she felt no connection to the young girl. And now she was in charge of her care and maintenance.

The thought alone made Elsa shiver.

She spent the next couple of hours tossing and turning, unable to get back to sleep on the hard floor. Anna, on the other hand, had barely moved through the night. Elsa looked down to see the young girl lightly snoring, her hair tangled from sleep, and a line of drool trickling down her chin.

'_She must be a heavy sleeper,'_ Elsa thought, _'That, or she hasn't slept well in a while.'_

By the time her alarm sounded for the third time, Elsa sat up, giving up on getting any more rest. Just as well, she reasoned, she had a lot of things to do today anyways. She threw the blanket off of her legs and stood up, stretching her arms over her head and yawning. Anna stirred slightly, curling into a little ball. Elsa smiled, picking her off of the floor and lying her back on the couch, tucking the pillows and blankets around her soundly.

She then took a cleansing breath, trying to figure out where she should start. Her stomach growled, and it hit her that she hadn't eaten since the previous afternoon. She looked back over to where her sister was sleeping.

'_God knows the last time she's eaten, either,' _she thought, if her memory of her parent's care served her correctly.

Still dressed in the clothes she'd worn last night, Elsa threw on a pair of flip flops and dug her wallet out of her purse. She'd only had about forty dollars left from her last paycheck, but figured it'd be enough to get them both some food, and something for the young girl to wear.

She walked back over to the couch, weighing on whether or not she should wake the girl and bring her to the store, or to let her sleep. After a few minutes, she decided to let Anna stay home. There was no sense in waking her up this early. And besides, it was a relatively safe neighborhood, and the store was only down the street. She'd be fine. Hopefully.

Elsa threw on a sweater and made her way out the door, double checking to make sure the locks were secure. It was chilly, but the sun had risen not too long ago, so at least the air wasn't frostbitten as it usually would be later that afternoon.

She stopped outside of a small establishment with "Oaken's Outlet" painted onto a sign in big red letters. This store was cheap, and very run down, but had everything from food to clothes to toys, all at extremely reasonable rates. She walked up to a giant wooden door, the bell over the entrance screeching in her ears.

"Hoo, hoo! Morning Elsa!" the man behind the counter greeted her.

"Morning Oaken," she said, not even stopping to wave or make small talk. She knew what she needed, and was on a mission to get it and avoid a three hour conversation on the weather with Oaken and his wife, Sylvie. He was a sweet man though, and Elsa appreciated his charity (she hated that word, but it was true) in helping her out whenever she was low on money.

She felt his eyes on her from his post at the counter as she walked up and down the aisles, grabbing milk, bread, peanut butter, and anything else she could think of that would feed them for a couple of days. She walked up to the counter with her arms full, pouring everything onto the space in front of her.

"Mighty hungry you are, ya?" Elsa couldn't help but grin at his accent. He and his wife were both natives of Norway who had been living in the States for a little over five years. They got a hang on the language quickly, but their accents could not be concealed at all.

"You could say that," Elsa said, looking over her shoulder. "Um, where do you have clothes? Like, children's clothes. For, say, a five year old?"

He stared at her, a little perplexed at her request.

"It's for my sister," she offered as an explanation, "The one I told you about? She's staying with me for a couple of weeks and my mother didn't really…bring anything for her."

She saw a worried look flash through his eyes, as it usually did whenever Elsa was in a serious bind. But any apprehensions he had, he covered with a smile as he stood up. "Let's see what we can do for you, ya?"

About twenty minutes later, Elsa left the store with arms full of plastic bags stuffed with food, clothes, shoes, socks, underwear, and even a few toys that Oaken threw in for the child. And he gave it all to her for about ten bucks.

"God bless that man," Elsa muttered as she mounted the pavement to her apartment, "Though I'm certain his kindness will get him run out of business eventually."

She struggled to get the key in the lock, and once she heard it click, she shoved the door open, nearly falling over the disproportional weight of her bags.

"Where did you go?"

Elsa looked up to see Anna standing in the middle of the living room, vaguely wiping her eyes.

"I, uh, went to get a few things for us," Elsa said as she shut the door, unloading the bags onto the table across from the couch.

"Oh, okay."

Elsa looked at her sister, who's hair was sticking out in every which direction. Elsa didn't know what else to say, so the two stood in silence for a while.

"Do you want to get dressed or do you want to eat?" Elsa asked, her voice shaking in her uncertainty.

Anna shifted from one foot to the other, biting the inside of her lip. "Can I take a bath first?"

Elsa nodded, and hustled into the bags to find the tear free shampoo Oaken had given her.

Unsure of whether or not she should carry the girl or not, Elsa just gestured towards the hallway, "It's this way."

Anna walked ahead of her, and Elsa grabbed a towel and washcloth from the stack of clothes she'd neglected to wash, assuming it would be clean enough for now.

Anna reached up and opened the door, taking two steps into the room. Elsa was right behind her, leaning over her small frame to plug the tub and run the water.

"Do you, uh, need my help or…?" Elsa trailed off, her ineptness shining right through her voice.

The girl shook her head, "No, I can do it myself."

Elsa nodded, turning off the water when the bath had risen. "Okay, well, I'll be right outside if you need anything." She set the bottle and towel on the toilet seat and turned back around, deciding to leave the door cracked in case Anna needed her.

When she got back to the living room, she collapsed against the couch, already disgustingly overwhelmed at the responsibility this entailed. And she'd only been at it for a few hours. She had no idea how she would do this for another couple of weeks.

While Anna took her bath, (and sung while she did so, Elsa noted, which was cute), Elsa picked out a dress and sandals for the girl to wear and made a brunch out of peanut butter sandwiches, apples, and chocolate pudding. (She'd hoped the girl would like chocolate, since she didn't know for sure).

Anna appeared from the bathroom about twenty minutes after, the giant towel wrapped around her tiny chest.

As soon as Elsa saw her, she gathered her up and carried her to the couch.

"I, uh, got some clothes for you. And there's food in the kitchen if you're hungry."

The girl nodded in response, making no move to put on her dress or get her food.

"Anytime you want it," Elsa said, not sure of herself at all anymore. "Do you want me to help you get dressed?"

Anna stood up, taking the dress by the hem, "You don't know what you're doing, do you?"

Elsa's eyes widened, shocked that her nervosa was that obvious.

The young girl slid the dress over her head and stepped into her shoes, "It's okay. Mama and Papa don't always know what to do. I think you're doing good. Gooder than them."

Elsa couldn't help but smile, "Thanks Anna. I'm trying."

After a moment, Anna asked "Can you brush my hair?"

Elsa nodded, fiddling around in the bag until she found the brush and hair ties Oaken had given her. As Elsa sat down, Anna crawled onto the couch so that her front was turned away. Elsa immediately began working through the knots in Anna's hair, which were so hard she figured it'd been a while since anyone brushed it. After securing it into two pigtails, Anna jumped up and ran for the kitchen to get the food. She emerged a minute later with chocolate pudding all over her face.

"I hope s'okay," she said, her mouth still full, "I'll eat the other stuff, but I wanted the chocolate first."

"You like chocolate?" Elsa asked, already amused by the girl's character.

Anna nodded vigorously, "Uh-huh! It's my favorite food ever."

"Good to know," Elsa said, following Anna back into the kitchen. As she grabbed their sandwiches and drinks, Elsa leaned down and handed Anna her cup of pudding. The look on the girl's face warmed her heart in a way she didn't think was possible.

"Thank you Elsa," she said, a brown grin plastered on her face.

"No problem Anna," she replied, following the child back into the living room, a smile of her own coming on.


	3. The Sky's Awake

The better part of the day had been devoted to making sure that Elsa had everything she needed to make sure that these two weeks went by as smoothly as possible. She dug out the first aid kit she had buried in a closet, made an attempt to organize the mess that was her apartment, (lest Anna get into something she shouldn't, or fall over some wires or garbage).

Elsa had given Anna some pencils and paper to keep her occupied while she did this, seeing as it was the only thing she could find that would amuse the child.

"Why don't you have a TV?" Anna had asked.

'_Because it's a pedantic and juvenile waste of brain cells,' _she'd thought to herself.

"Because I don't have time to watch it, usually," was the answer she gave.

Every so often, Elsa would glance at the clock, cursing the amount of work she'd have to make up next week for missing class today. Friday was her busiest day, as she had all of her math classes in the morning. She tried not to let her frustration show through. After all, what their parents had done wasn't Anna's fault.

Her phone rang around two, and Elsa had to dig through the pile of blankets in the corner to retrieve it.

"Hello?" she answered breathlessly, not even checking the caller ID.

She heard the muted voice of her friend, Hans, telling someone to sit the hell down, "It's not like you to miss class, snow queen. You alright?"

She sighed, not in the mood for his smart remarks.

"Something…" she trailed off, looking over to Anna, who was intently focused on whatever she was drawing, "Something came up, is all."

"Well," he huffed, "I'd figured you'd died or be in jail. It's not in your nature to miss Calc."

"It wasn't by choice," she said, balancing the phone against her shoulder while moving a stack of books.

"I take it this thing must be life or death, seeing as you were supposed to be here an hour ago," he said.

"Shit," Elsa said under her breath, setting the books down on the counter, "I was supposed to work today?"

"Yup," Hans said, "And Gerda is not happy with you right now."

She rubbed her forehead, leaning up against the wall, "Tell her I'll be there in as soon as possible."

"You got it," he said just as Elsa hung up on him.

Elsa rushed to gather her work ID and her time card, tossing her notebooks out of her purse and putting everything she needed in. It wasn't until she was halfway out the door that she realized that not only had she forgotten to put on shoes, but she'd forgotten her sister.

"Anna," Elsa called, grabbing a pair of flats and shoving her feet into them, "Get your sandals on. We're going out."

The girl was at her side in an instant.

"Where are we going?" She'd asked as Elsa grabbed her keys.

"I have to go to work," Elsa said, "And you have to come with me."

"Why?" Anna asked, "I stay home alone all the time."

A pang of sympathy – or anger at her parent's blatant neglect – shot through her stomach.

"Well," Elsa said, taking her by the hand and leading her out the door, "You can't stay here alone. Besides, there's probably more to do at the library than there is in this apartment."

"You work at a library?" Anna asked as Elsa locked the door and lead her towards the bus stop.

"Yes," Elsa answered.

"Why?"

'_Full of questions, this one is.'_

"Because…I like books."

Apparently that answer was enough for the child, as she remained silent as they waited for the bus.

When they boarded and sat down, Anna spoke up again, "Elsa, will you teach me how to read?"

Elsa sighed, and said yes. After all, it was only two weeks. The girl would be gone before she even had the chance.

xXx

"You are so late," Hans quipped as Elsa pushed through the revolving door.

She pulled her out her ID and put it on, tossing her purse over the counter, "I know that."

She hustled Anna over to the children's section, "Go on. There's usually someone over there who will read to you."

"Put you promised you'd teach me!" the girl whined.

"I will," Elsa said, "Just not right this second. Now go."

Anna pouted, stomping towards the brightly colored rug in a huff.

"Don't you start," Elsa said before she even turned around, composing herself as she walked back to the counter.

"I wasn't going to say anything," Hans said. Elsa shoved his feet off of the counter to make her way to the circulation desk. "That wouldn't happen to be your sister, would it? You know, the one that you're not allowed to see?"

"Yes," Elsa sighed, taking her post by the returned books. She began to scan them back into the system. She tried to focus, but could feel Hans' eyes boring into her.

"My mother dropped her off at my apartment last night, with little to no explanation. Anna's staying with me for a couple of weeks…" She slid the checkout slip into the cover of a book, "Hopefully."

"Man, that's rough," Hans said after a moment.

'_That was helpful.'_

Hans rolled over to where Elsa was sitting, and started poking her, "So, I take it that's why you didn't go out with me and Fitz last night."

Elsa shrugged him off, "Don't you have work you should be doing?"

"Funny, I was asking myself the same thing when you weren't here on time."

Elsa's spine shot up at the voice of her boss, Gerda, scolding her. She didn't even dare to turn around for fear of the look on the woman's face.

"I'm sorry," Elsa said meekly, trying to keep her trembling hands on the books, "Something came up and it slipped my mind."

The portly woman stepped into Elsa's line of vision, crossing her arms, "I don't pay you to make excuses, Ms. Anderson, I pay you to be here on time."

'_You barely pay me at all,'_ Elsa wanted to say. But she also wanted to keep her job, so she didn't dare.

A loud smacking noise against the floor tore into the air, causing both Elsa and Gerda to look in the direction it came from. Elsa had to hold back a groan and an eye roll when she saw Anna standing there, a stack of picture books threatening to fall out of her hands.

"Anna," Elsa admonished, "I told you to stay over in the children's area."

The young girl was on the brink of tears as three pairs of eyes were on her.

"This boy told me I was too ugly to be in there and he made me leave," the girl said, barely a whisper.

Elsa immediately regretted her quick tone. Instinct told her to go to her sister to calm her down, but fear kept her planted in her chair.

Gerda's demeanor shifted from harsh to soft, as she approached the girl in a soothing voice, "Honey, you are not ugly. And you have every right to be in that area." She took the stack of books under one arm, and took Anna's hand with her free one. "Come on, sweetie," she said, "I'll kick that kid out of there and I'll read you any story you want, okay?" Anna nodded in reply. Gerda looked over her shoulder to Elsa, "We'll finish this discussion later."

As the two walked away, Elsa buried her head in her hands, trying to halt the barrage of anxiety she felt crawling up through her throat.

"I don't know what I'm doing anymore," Elsa muttered, to herself or Hans, she wasn't quite sure.

Hans took the stack of books from her and set them on his table, "I'll take care of this. Why don't you go to the bathroom and collect yourself for a minute or two?"

Elsa could only nod as she hugged her stomach, heading for the bathroom.

Tears were falling down her cheeks before the stall door slammed shut.

xXx

As punishment for being late, Elsa had to work double overtime, which meant staying behind to stack shelves long after the library closed. Gerda had entertained Anna, even having her husband, Kai, take her down the street to McDonald's for dinner. Elsa was grateful, in a way. Gerda must have filled the pieces of what had happened together based on the conversations she'd had with Hans throughout the day and was attempting to help her out. Which she appreciated, quite a bit.

By the time they got home, Elsa could barely keep her eyes open. Anna, on the other hand, was full of energy. Gerda had started to teach the girl how to read, and she gave Anna books to bring home to practice over the weekend.

Elsa threw herself over the couch, hiding her face in the crux of her arm. She could've fallen asleep right then and there, but she had to put Anna to bed first. She felt her feet drop to the floor under the influence of tiny, yet strong hands.

"I'm not tired," Anna said, reading Elsa's mind.

"I am," the older girl muttered, not even bothering to lift her head, "So we're both going to bed soon."

Anna tried to crawl onto Elsa's back, "But I don't want to go to bed."

Elsa opened an eye, "I spent a long time working. And you need your sleep."

Anna sighed dramatically, throwing herself on top of her sister, "But I want to play!"

Elsa chuckled, nudging the girl off of her, causing her to slink to the floor.

"We can play tomorrow," Elsa said, picking herself up. "Come on. Let's get you into a clean nightgown."

She heard Anna groaned, but paid her no mind as she grabbed the only bag she hadn't unpacked from the morning. She pulled a crisp nightgown out, but two small bundles fell out of it and onto her feet. She bent over to pick them up. They were dolls; something Oaken must have slid in there for Anna when she wasn't looking.

"What's that?" Anna asked, not missing a beat.

"Dolls," Elsa said, crouching down and handing them to her younger sister, "For you?"

Anna took them, staring like she'd never seen a doll before.

"Do you like them?" she asked.

Anna nodded, saying nothing at first. She turned them over in her hands, closely examining them.

"They look like us," she said.

"What?"

"They do!" Anna held the one with blonde hair up to Elsa's face, and the red head up to hers, "They look like princess versions of us!"

Elsa smiled, picking her sister up and carrying her to the couch, "They do."

Anna grinned as she hugged them both close. The girl's joy was contagious, to say the least.

"Alright Anna, time for bed. Even princesses need their sleep."

After Elsa had changed her into the nightgown, Anna jumped out of her arms and ran over to the window, the blonde doll in her hand.

"What are you doing?" Elsa asked.

"Looking at the stars," the girl answered, straining to see over the window sill, "They're really pretty!"

Elsa rolled her eyes, "Yes Anna, they are."

She stood up and walked to where Anna stood, scooping her up and closing the curtain. "We can star gaze another night," she said, carrying her back to the couch, "Right now, we're going to bed."

The girl threw herself back in Elsa's arms, sighing dramatically, "But the sky's awake, so I'm awake!"

Elsa could only laugh as she tucked the girl into the couch, knowing full well that sleep wasn't going to come easily to either of them.


	4. Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

The two weeks her mother had promised went by quickly, as those two weeks turned into another week, and then another week on top of that. A month passed, and Elsa still had no word from her mother. Afraid to go near the house, Elsa called her mother nonstop, until one day the number was no longer in service.

In the meantime, Elsa had to adjust her entire life and schedule around taking care of her younger sister. Since she couldn't afford a baby sitter, and any day care was out of the question, Anna usually tagged along with her, whether it be for class or for work. Her teachers had been lenient on her due to the circumstances. Even Gerda seemed to tone down the disdain she held in light of everything. Elsa hated the charity, but was in such a bind that she had no other choice.

On the contrary, Anna herself was no such burden. She was rambunctious, sure, but extremely well-mannered and did everything Elsa had told her to do. She was quiet when she needed to be, ate whatever was given to her, went to bed without any real hesitation. Surprisingly, she'd warmed up to Elsa rather easily. The older girl was still a little distant; not by choice, just by nature, but she tried, for Anna's sake.

Conversations with the young girl had revealed everything that had been going on in the Anderson household in Elsa's absence. Their father was rarely, if ever around, and from what Elsa could gather, didn't have a job. Their mother, a slave to her sadness, tried to make due on the welfare checks she got. Although there was almost never food and Anna had to sleep in their mother's bed since they couldn't afford to buy her one.

It made Elsa sick, in all honesty. Welfare checks meant a social worker, and that meant the social worker wasn't doing her job. Or didn't care.

Though Elsa foresaw the fiscal issues to Anna's extended stay, the more she learned about her home life, the more relieved she felt. Sure, there wasn't much in the way of proper parental guidance, but at least she was clothed and fed, which is more than her parents had evidently been doing.

It was Christmas Eve, and Elsa had wandered downtown on her break to the mall. She didn't have much time, or money, but she knew that Anna would likely be staying with her over the holidays, and she wanted to make sure the girl had something to open on Christmas day. Gerda had made sure that Anna was distracted when Elsa slipped out, even handing her an envelope with a Christmas bonus (that she didn't even know she'd be getting) on her way out the door. It wasn't that much, but again, enough to at least get Anna a few nice things.

She wandered around, trying to find a Toys R Us or maybe a Disney store. The crowds were thick, and she had a hard time maneuvering. She didn't watch where she was going and bumped into someone.

"I am so very sorry," she said before she even saw who it was.

She was shocked to see that it was her mother, looking a lot better than she did a few weeks ago.

"Elsa," the woman said, turning around to meet her daughter.

A flurry of words and emotions swirled over in Elsa's head, and she didn't even know where to begin.

Her mother must have sensed this as she finally spoke up, "I didn't forget about Anna, honest. I was going to call you."

Composing herself, Elsa said, "Your phone was disconnected last week."

The pause and shift of eyes betrayed her mother's lies, "Oh, well I was going to call."

Elsa looked around, cautious eyes scanning the crowd for her father.

"He's not here," her mother said, "I mean, he's waiting in the car. I just came in to get a few things."

Swallowing her apprehension, Elsa gathered a hint of courage, "When were you planning on coming back for Anna? Not that she isn't welcome in my house, it's just, you said two weeks, and it's been a month."

The woman shrugged, "I know. I haven't forgotten. I know I said two weeks, but I figured you wouldn't mind if she stayed a little longer."

Elsa couldn't believe her ears, this woman speaking and acting as if she had left a book, and not her daughter, at her doorstep.

"Well," Elsa said, "When do you plan on getting her?"

Her mother was stalling, that much was obvious.

"I can't tell you right now, sweetie," she finally said, "Your father and I are going out of town for a few weeks. His sister just had a baby and he wants to go up and see her."

'_You have your own baby right here,' _Elsa thought, _'and neither of you seem to want to see her.'_

"But I promise," she continued, patting Elsa's cheek, "It won't be too much longer."

As her mother's cold fingers slid down her face, the shallow look in her eyes held the truth. She wasn't coming back for Anna for a while.

That was, if she did at all.

Elsa bit back her tears and mumbled something about being in a hurry, hunching over and practically running away from her mother.

There were too many feelings fighting for dominance in her mind. Pity for Anna. Worry about how she was going to care for the child. What would she do about school? What would her father do when he found out where Anna was exactly?

Was she really stuck with her sister? How in hell was she going to raise a five year old girl if so?

The guilt and anxiety was too much for her. She tried to push it out of her mind and went into the Disney store. Elsa didn't even bat an eyelash in nearly emptying her bank account.

It was the least she could do.

xXx

Elsa was distant the rest of the day, to the point that Gerda dismissed her early and told her to go home. She packed up her belongings and got Anna from the children's section. The girl nearly collapsed under the weight of the books Gerda and Hans had gotten her for Christmas, but her joy kept her energy sustained.

When they got home, Elsa let Anna loose to the living room and decided to call for pizza, too exhausted to consider trying to cook anything herself. After she placed the order, she collapsed next to Anna on the couch. The girl had her nose buried in one of her books, her arm snug around the blonde doll Oaken had given her weeks before.

Elsa noted that the book was lengthier than the ones Anna had been reading the previous week.

"You're learning fast, aren't you?" she'd said, ruffling her sister's messy red hair.

"Uh-huh!" The girl said, looking up at her sister with bright eyes, "Gerda said I'm really smart."

"That's because you are," Elsa said warmly.

Anna turned back to her book, and Elsa couldn't help but smile at her. Things had been rocky, and she could even imagine what the young girl had seen back at home, but she was still sweet and vivacious in spite of it.

'_At five, she's a better person then I'll ever be,' _she thought.

Elsa stood up to open the curtains so they could watch the snow fall.

"When are mama and papa coming back?"

She froze in place, her fingers stuck to the lining of the curtains. It's a question that she'd been avoiding for the last couple of weeks, as Anna hadn't brought it up since the first night.

Elsa weighed her words carefully as she turned around, afraid to initiate contact with the girl in the midst of this conversation.

She thought about lying, but figured there was no point.

"I don't know when they're coming back."

The happiness in Anna's eyes sunk as she closed her book and bit her lip. She even looked on the brink of tears. Elsa, not wanting that to happen (and not knowing what to do if it did), ran over to Anna's side and wrapped a hesitant arm around her shoulder.

A month in, and she still had no idea how to comfort the girl.

Thinking on her feet, Elsa said, "Let's not think about that right now. It's Christmas Eve. We're supposed to be celebrating. What do you want to do?"

The words even sounded a little sad coming out of her mouth, but Anna ignored it, her teary eyes looking to the window.

"Can we do anything I wanna?" she asked.

Elsa nodded, drawing a smile across her face.

Anna mulled it over, but then gasped in excitement. She stood up on the couch and started bouncing.

Turning to face Elsa with a pleading look on her face, "Can we go play in the snow?"

Elsa sighed. Some part of her mind knew that would be the girl's request. But she didn't have the heart to refuse.

"Yes," Elsa said, standing up and gathering their boots and coats from the ground, trying to keep up with the hyperactive girl, "but not until you put your shoes on."

xXx

The snow was only about two inches thick, but that didn't seem to matter to Anna, who'd immediately thrown herself into the ground and started to make snow angels. Elsa sat close by, watching her sister enjoy herself.

After a few minutes, Anna noticed her older sister's absence and ran over to her, grabbing onto Elsa's hands.

"Elsa, come play with me!"

Elsa smiled, rubbing Anna's cheeks, "I think I'll pass. You go have fun."

Anna frowned, "But I want you to play with meeeeeeee."

"I don't think so," she replied.

Anna turned around and started to walk away, but stopped and turned back. She stood next to her sister, tugging at her braid, "Do you want to build a snowman?"

The request caught Elsa off guard. But it was clear her sister wouldn't give up until she obliged.

"Fine," she resigned, letting Anna pull her into the snowy play field.

Elsa quickly got into the spirit, as Anna's spirit was highly contagious. They rolled balls of snow until they were big enough to construct a snowman. Elsa even let the younger girl do most of the work, which she seemed to enjoy.

As Anna lifted the head and settled it on the body, she said, "He's missing something."

"He needs a nose," Elsa said, "And buttons. And arms."

"Let's get them!"

"Okay," Elsa said, standing up, "I'll get the buttons and the nose, you get some twigs for the arms."

"Alright!" the younger girl said, running towards the trees.

After Elsa returned with a carrot from the apartment and some rocks from the garden, Anna ran around while Elsa put the finishing touches on the snowman.

As Elsa turned him around, Anna plopped to the ground, making goofy faces in their direction. Elsa laughed as she crouched behind the snowman, making his arms move.

"Hi, I'm Olaf," she said in the silliest voice she could manage, "And I like warm hugs!"

Anna clapped her tiny hands together, bolting up from her snow pile and throwing her arms around the snowman.

"I love you Olaf!" she said. The girl opened her eyes, running up to her sister and throwing her arms around her neck, "And I love you Elsa!"

Tears bit her eyes as she wrapped her arms around Anna's body, taking in what she'd said. It was the first time either of them had said it to the other in their entire lives.

"I love you too Anna," Elsa returned, watching the snow through blurry eyes, "I love you too my little snowflake."


	5. Misery Loves Company

Weeks upon weeks passed, and by the end of January, with no word from either of her parents, it was pretty clear that her mother had no intentions of coming back for Anna.

Elsa could've kicked herself for not seeing this coming. She should have. Her mother was never one to be responsible, and heaven knows she'd tried the same thing with Elsa and her aunt when she was younger.

And while Gerda, Kai, and Hans had been extremely helpful, it was becoming clear that Elsa was struggling. Her new professors weren't as lenient with their attendance policies and she had exhausted her assignment extensions by the end of the third week. Her paycheck barely paid the bills, and she was running a tab at Oaken's that she wouldn't be able to pay back anytime soon. Even with payday advances and the occasional loan from Hans' boyfriend, Fitz, she was struggling to make ends meet. It worried her to no end. However, she'd always made sure Anna had everything she needed, even if it meant going without herself.

"You do know you could apply for welfare or something, right?" Hans had asked one day as Elsa sat hunched at the circulation desk.

"For starters, she's not my child," Elsa muttered, not having the energy to lift her head, "I'm fairly sure you have to have custody of someone to receive government money for them."

"Well, how am I supposed to know that? I'm just trying to be helpful."

Elsa's head shot up, "You're pre-law, Hans."

He smiled, tossing a rubber band ball in the air, "You act like I pay attention."

Elsa rolled her eyes, forcing herself to try to check in the books so Gerda wouldn't yell at her again.

She was so caught up in her work, she didn't realize when a shadow towered over her. Hans, who saw it out of the corner of his eye, called it to her attention.

"Elsa, you've got company."

She didn't look up, biting back the "what do you want" that had settled on her tongue.

"Can I help you?" she mustered.

"You can start by telling me where Anna is and how long you've been keeping her from me."

The harshness of the tone and the scratchiness of the voice caused a shiver to run up Elsa's spine. She didn't want to look up, but she raised her eyes, trying to keep her breathing in check.

Her father's acid green eyes bore down into her.

She wanted to make a clever comeback, but could only stutter out, "Wh—what are you talking a—about."

"And don't try lying to me," he said, clenching his fists, "Your mother said she left Anna with you."

Elsa was so frozen, her tongue was trembling. Her father still had the power to intimidate her, much to her dismay, even into adulthood.

"You didn't know?"

He scoffed, "Your mother said she'd left Anna with her cousin. But she slipped today, told me you had her and wouldn't give her back."

"What? No!" Elsa said, standing up, "I haven't even heard from her since Christmas."

"I told you not to lie to me!" he said, slamming his fist on the counter and raising his voice.

His face was so close to hers, she could smell the remains of bourbon on his breath. She couldn't draw her mind from her childhood fears, feeling only three feet tall. She could only whimper as her anxiety overtook her.

"Excuse me, what is your problem?" Hans spat, physically putting himself between Elsa and her father. "We don't raise our voices in here, even the children are learning that. Would you like to join them?"

The man stepped back, visibly jarred by Hans' interruption. He looked over him to meet Elsa's eyes. "Where is Anna? I'm taking her home, now."

The mention of him bringing Anna back into the unstable house snapped Elsa out of her paralysis.

"She's not here," she said, her trembling voice betraying her, "I left her with a sitter."

He rubbed his forehead, "Give me the address."

"No," Elsa said, trying to keep herself level.

His eyes narrowed into hers, "I told you to give me the address."

"No!" Elsa said, her pluck disappearing as his eyes grew red. She kept glancing over to the children's area, praying that Anna wouldn't come out to go to the bathroom or for any other reason.

Hans sensed her hesitance and attempted to gain control the situation, "Sir, you're causing a disruption. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

The man sighed, looking ready to resign. Out of the corner of her eye, Elsa saw a patch of red hair followed by the flow of a green skirt from around the corner.

'_Please god no,' _Elsa thought, _'Anna please go back where you came from.'_

She heard her sister's voice jump at her, "Elsa! Come help me pick a book, pleeeeease?!"

Her father's eyes darted around until he saw her, and the pat-pat of her shoes halted a few feet away.

"Anna," he said, sugar coating his voice, "There you are."

The girl didn't move a muscle as her eyes went over the man, trying to decipher if she should approach him or not.

"It's okay," he said, kneeling and opening his arms, "You don't have to be afraid."

'_She has every reason to be afraid,' _Elsa thought as Anna started to back away from him.

"Come here," he said, more aggressively, reaching out to hug his younger daughter.

"Get away from her!" Elsa yelled, causing even the patrons to look at the spectacle. Elsa ran around the circulation desk and stepped between her father and her sister, urging Anna in the other direction.

"You have no business interfering," he said, pointing a finger at his eldest daughter, "Now let me take Anna home and we can act like this never happened."

"No," Elsa said, balling her fists to hide the fact that they were shaking, "You can't just barge in here and start ordering me around, not anymore." She surprised herself at her growing strength. "And besides, where have you been the last few months?" She shot a finger in his direction, "Anna's not an object that you can take out whenever you feel like it. She's a person. And I'll be damned if I'm going to continue to allow you to treat her…." She trailed off, _the way you treated me _sitting on the tip of her tongue.

She was shocked when he shot out a hand, grabbing onto her arm.

"Let go of me!" Elsa said, trying to pull away.

"Not on your life," he said, holding on tighter.

"Get away from her!" Hans interjected as Anna started to cry.

"What is going on here!?"

Elsa turned around as her father let go of her, seeing Gerda stomp over to them.

"This is a library, not a bar," she exclaimed, towering over the man despite the fact she was two feet shorter than him, "Get out this instant!"

His eyes shot around, to Gerda, Hans, and finally, Elsa. He took a deep breath.

"Fine," he said, staring Elsa in the eye, "But I'm not finished."

His footsteps disappeared out the door, but Elsa could still feel his presence looming over her, threatening her safety. She felt Anna cling onto her leg, staining her leggings with tears. Elsa reached down to pet her head, still in shock over what happened.

"Mr. Westerguard," Gerda said, pointing Hans to the circulation desk, "Get back to work, now." She turned to the patrons who were still staring, "The show's over people. This isn't a circus. Mind your own business."

She picked Anna up and took Elsa by the hand, guiding them to the break room.

"It's going to be alright, okay?" she said to the little girl, who was still crying hysterically. She handed her off to Elsa and looked at her with kind eyes. "Take all the time you need, alright?"

Elsa could only nod and hold her sister tight.

"It'll be alright," the woman said as she walked away.

Elsa doubted it severely.

Her father may have been a deadbeat, but he never went back on his word.


	6. Temporary Home

Gerda didn't say anything when Elsa opted to spend the remainder of her shift with Anna in the children's section. The woman was tough, but even she didn't lack the heart to sympathize for the girls, who were both visibly shaken.

Elsa sat on a too-small stool while Anna sat on the mutli-color rug, a book settled on her lap. The older girl's eyes were stuck on the floor and her arms were wrapped around her stomach. She could still feel little bursts of anxiety bouncing through her body and releasing themselves in her still clammy palms. Her father was an intimidating man, there was no doubt about it. But that wasn't what was bothering Elsa. She was more concerned for her sister than anything.

She'd never seen her father that furious, yet calm at the same time. She'd always knew that her parents made a point of not being violent with either girl, but that vanished in the moment her father lunged and grabbed her arm. The look in his eyes was primitive, stark; like a rabid animal reclaiming its territory.

She hadn't seen her father at all in three years. He could have changed a lot in that time. And that uncertainty is why she didn't trust him around Anna anymore; she couldn't risk her baby sister getting hurt.

She was drawn out of her thoughts but a pat on the shoulder that caused her to jump.

"Jesus Hans," she said, facing back away from him, "Please don't scare me like that."

"Sorry," he said, pulling up a stool next to her, "I'm on my break now and I haven't seen you since…well…you know…."

"Yeah," Elsa said, letting her eyes drop back down.

He slid a bottle into her hand and a small bag into her lap, "Something tells me you missed lunch."

She forced a weak smile, "Thanks. I did."

Her fingers trembled over the bottle cap as she tried to pry it open.

"So," Hans said, "I take it that was your father?"

Elsa could only nod in reply.

He leaned back against a bookshelf, "I mean, I know you don't talk about him much, but from our brief encounter, I can tell that the few things you have told me about him are true." He sighed, "Who starts a scene like that at a library?"

"That's nothing," Elsa said, holding her drink awkwardly in her hand, "I've seen him start fights in a church parking lot."

She could feel Hans' empathetic eyes on her, but couldn't bring herself to look at him, her eyes on Anna.

"Hans, what am I going to do?" She asked. When he didn't answer, she continued, "I never intended for this to happen. Granted, I had no say in getting myself into it…." She sighed, placing her drink on the floor. "But…I don't want Anna to get hurt. I don't know everything that went on in my absence, but I know enough to not want to send her back there."

She looked at her sister, who was biting her lip in concentration, her eyebrows knit together.

"I feel terrible for not helping her in the first place," Elsa whispered, "I know I said that my father wouldn't let me around her, but, as her sister, I had a responsibility to her, and I didn't fulfill it."

"You shouldn't beat yourself up over it," Hans said, "You're not her mother. And if your father wouldn't let you near the house, there was nothing you could do, right?"

"No, you don't understand," Elsa sighed, turning to meet his gaze, "I couldn't get near the house because I didn't try. When my father told me not to come back, I didn't. I didn't even make one attempt to even see if things were okay. And I feel horrible for it."

Hans inched closer to her, "You can't dwell on that. Not now. How would you know that any of this was going to happen?"

Elsa's eyes started to water again.

"I remember what it was like growing up in that house. The uncertainty, the instability…."

"Well," Hans said, "At least they didn't hit you. Or her."

"There are other forms of abuse besides physical, Hans," she said dryly, "And sometimes, they can be much worse because they're trivialized, invalidated, and allowed to repeat."

Elsa looked back over at her sister, not in any capacity to keep the conversation going. Anna eventually noticed and jumped up, running to Elsa's side.

She didn't even feel the tears on her face until tiny fingers brushed them away.

"Elsa," Anna said, "Why are you crying?"

Elsa sniffled, rubbing her cheeks, "No reason, Anna. I'm fine."

The child reached up and wrapped her arms around Elsa's neck.

"I love you sissy," she said.

Elsa returned the hug, feeling herself choke up, "I love you too, snowflake."

Heels clicked against the tile and suddenly Gerda was standing over the three of them, hands on her hips.

"Mr. Westerguard, your break is over and there's a rather livid woman at the circulation desk waiting for you to check her out," she said.

Hans stood, a grin on his face, "Well, I don't play for that team, but I'd be happy to oblige."

Gerda's face turned red, "Now, before I give your job to someone qualified to do it."

Hans threw his hands up and walked away.

"He sure needs sorting out," Gerda said, walking to the seat that had been vacated.

"Elsa," she said, lowering and tenderizing her voice, "Why don't you take the rest of the day off. Take Anna home and both of you relax."

"You don't mind?" Elsa asked, her hand still on Anna's back.

The woman shook her head, "Not at all. And Kai is willing to drive you there, if you want."

Not in any capacity to deal with public transit, Elsa agreed and thanked her.

"Elsa," Gerda said as she stood up to leave, "If you need anything at all for any reason, please, feel free to let me know."

Elsa nodded.

"I know I come off as a tough old broad, but even I have a soft spot or two." She knelt down and patted Anna on the head, "You're both sweet girls and deserve better. You really do."

Elsa couldn't respond. She knew that was true of Anna, but doubted it for herself.

xXx

Elsa spent the next two weeks jumping at every door knock and shaking every time the phone rang. She knew that her father would exact some type of plan to get Anna back, and the thought alone frightened her.

It was more the uncertainty that terrified Elsa than anything else. Her father's words were vague, which lead her to believe he was just trying to intimidate her. But the look in his eyes was precise, as if he knew exactly what he was going to do and how he was going to do it. It was this type of psychopathy that allowed her father to play mind games with her throughout the course of her life. Only now, things were different.

It wasn't just about her anymore. It was about her sister. And that raised the stakes considerably.

It was the middle of a Monday afternoon, the first time in weeks Elsa had any time to herself. Hans had taken Anna to the movies with Fitz, which guaranteed Elsa at least a few hours of privacy. She used the time to catch up on her physics homework, which she was painfully behind on.

She was hunched over her books on the floor, struggling to solve an equation when she heard a knock on the door. She froze in place. The knock came again. It was too weak to be her father's, too composed to be her mother's.

She stood up, hobbling to the door.

"Yes?" she said, too afraid to check the peep hole.

"I'm with the Department of Children and Family Services. I'd like to talk to you about the minor Anna Anderson."

Her breath caught in her throat, and she had to force herself to lift her hands to unlock the door.

She swung it open and was met by a balding man about half her height.

"Elsa Anderson, I presume?" he said, securing his hand around his brief case.

"Y…yes," she stammered.

He cleared his throat and straightened his jacket, "My name is Alan Wesselton. I received a call about a week ago saying that the minor in question was residing here. Is that correct?"

She nodded, but when he glared at her, she said, "Yes, it is."

"May I come in, or are we going to have this entire conversation in your doorway?" He sneered.

She backed away and held the door open, ushering him inside.

"I apologize for the mess," she said as they went into the living room, "I was just working on-."

"It's fine," he said, although his tone suggested that it perturbed him. His eyes scanned the floor, ridden with dirty clothes and papers. "Tell me, Ms. Anderson, is it always this disorganized, or did you class the place up just for me?"

"I didn't know you'd be coming over?" She said, cupping her hands to hide the fact that they were shaking.

"Funny, the number your mother gave me to contact you with was in service just fine," his voice trailed off, "I figured you'd received my voicemail."

She kicked herself.

'_I figured it was just another bill collector, I didn't realize it would be important.'_

As she fiddled with the end of her braid, trying to figure out what to say, the man turned around, a stack of papers in his hand.

"Ms. Anderson, let me explain the situation to you as it stands. I received a call from your father about a week ago stating that you were holding his daughter in your custody without his consent. However, your mother revealed that she left the girl with you. In normal circumstances, we would've just brought Anna back to them, but when I went back to review the case with them the next day, there was a police investigation going on. Allegedly, your father had brought drug related paraphernalia into the house and the neighbors contacted the authorities."

Elsa felt her blood boil.

'_Drugs? Around Anna? That's a new low, even for him.'_

"Anyhow," the man continued, "That certainly complicated things. Your father was released on bail and our agency is doing an investigation into whether or not that household is fit for a child."

He closed the gap between them, "So, as of now, Anna Anderson is under state custody, and I need to decide how we will proceed. Normally, she would go into foster care."

Elsa's heart stopped.

"The child has been with you for," he consulted his file, "Three months, according to your mother. So, the question remains; should I allow you to maintain this temporary custody or release her back to the state?"

Elsa could only stand still, afraid that any movement would shatter the resolve she was building up.

"I…I would hope she'd be allowed to stay with me," Elsa said. She continued, watching the man eye the cot that Elsa bought to make a somewhat real bed for the child. "I mean, I know I don't have much in the way of money, but I'd like to think I'm doing alright."

"There are regulations that need to be met, Ms. Anderson. Surely, you are aware of that."

She nodded, "I'm willing to do whatever I need to."

He narrowed his eyes at her, then sighed, "I have many other children to see to today. It's against my better judgment, but I'm going to leave her in your care. However, I will be assigning a permanent social worker to this case, and you should expect to see them in the near future." He started to walk away, "I trust you'll answer your phone next time?"

"Yes, I will," Elsa said, catching up so she could get the door.

He stood on the stoop, and looked over his shoulder, "Ms. Anderson, please note, that all of this is temporary. The ultimate goal of our agency is to return children to their rightful parents. Don't get too comfortable."

She held her breath, shocked that he could read right through her words that easily.

She closed the door and slid down against the wall, burying her face in her lap as she hit the floor, wishing she could keep herself in that darkness and never come back out.


	7. Foster

**AN: Thanks for all of the support this story has gotten so far! Also, in case you were wondering, Kristoff will be coming in the next couple of chapters.**

"Jesus," Hans exclaimed, "He's not fucking around, is he?"

"No," Elsa said, putting her head in her hands, "And I have absolutely no idea what I should do about it."

Hans had returned with Anna, only to find Elsa crumpled and crying on the couch. He left Anna with Fitz and took Elsa to the café down the street to calm her down. She recounted the whole story, feeling her already brittle psyche cracking apart at the seams with each word she spoke. By the time she was done, Hans was livid and Elsa was on the verge of tears.

They sat in silence for a while, neither of them sure of what to say.

"Well," Hans said, "You are going to meet with the social worker, right?"

Elsa nodded, "Yes. I talked to someone from the agency a few minutes before you got there. They had to assign a new worker. Apparently the one assigned to our family before had been covering up a lot of what was going on. So I won't be meeting with anyone until next week."

"Okay, that's a start," he said, biting his lip in concentration, "But you're going to need to do more than that. I mean, I'm not even in the field of family law, but I have friends who are. And these agencies are vicious, especially when there's been an error on their end that they could be liable for." He leaned forward, lowering his voice, "You just have to make sure there's nothing for them to complain about."

"How do I do that?"

He sat back and exhaled, "Well, that depends on your social worker. There's strict guidelines you're going to have to meet to be a foster parent, if you're serious about this."

Her spine stiffened at the words 'foster parent.'

"At this point, that's what you want to be," he offered as a response.

She blinked, looking down into her cup of coffee.

"I will warn you, some adults with steady jobs and housing have trouble being foster parents," he said, his words even and absolute, "The rules are strict and if you fuck up even one of them, they move the kid right out. You're a young, financially unstable college student; the fact that they even let you keep her for the time being means you're already under a microscope. It's not going to be easy, if even possible."

"I thought you said you weren't into family law," she said weakly.

He shrugged, "I took a class on it at some point."

She sighed, her voice cracking, "Who am I fooling? I can't do this. One visit from a social worker will show that I'm not equipped to deal with this, and she'll be gone."

"Well," Hans said, weighing his words carefully, "Just fake it, in that case. Make the place look nice. Tell Anna to behave. Muster up some fake courage. It'll at least get you in the door."

She looked up from her mug, trying to process everything that was happening. Foster care. Social workers. Guidelines and regulations. Foster parenting.

"I can't tell you for sure what's going to happen," he said after a while, "But I'm here if you do need anything. I hope you know that."

She nodded, her mouth suddenly unable to form words or coherent thoughts.

As much as she wanted to believe him, she knew that at the end of the day, she was in this on her own.

xXx

"Why do I hafta wear this?" Anna asked, pulling at the hem of her dress.

"Stop it," Elsa said, scrambling from the counter, taking the fabric out of her hand and straightening it back up, "I told you, Anna. Someone's coming over today and we have to look presentable."

"Why?"

Elsa sighed, exasperated. "Anna, please, I don't have time for this right now."

The older girl stood up, rushing around her apartment to make sure everything was clean and organized. She had no idea what exactly to expect, but figured that cleanliness was a virtue they sought in their potential foster parents.

"Elsa, can we play?" The girl asked, tugging at Elsa's pant leg.

"No, we cannot," she said, throwing the last of the paper plates into a trash bag.

"But I'm boooooored," the girl whined.

"Anna," Elsa groaned, "Why don't you sit on the couch and read? And don't make a mess and don't move any of the pillows."

The younger girl walked away, mocking her sister under her breath. Elsa chose to ignore her, more concerned about the apartment being orderly.

A knock on the door came as she struggled with a pile of clothes.

"She said she wouldn't be here until two," Elsa muttered, shoving the clothes into a laundry basket and sprinting towards the door.

"Who is it?"

"Elsa Anderson? I'm here from the Department of Children and Families."

Her fingers trembled over the deadbolt as she tried to suppress the panic swelling in her stomach. She opened the door and was met by a tall woman with long hazel hair and a gray pant suit.

"Elsa?" she asked, her hands secure around her purse.

"Yes, that's me," the girl said, trying to mask the worry in her voice.

The woman extended her hand, a warm smile on her face, "Hello, I'm Josephine Corona. Nice to meet you, Ms. Anderson."

Elsa stood still, caught off guard by how sweet the woman appeared to be. She shook her head and made herself take the hand in front of her, "N—nice to meet you too, Mrs. Corona."

"Please," she responded, chuckling, "You can call me Josephine. Mrs. Corona makes me sound like a stuffy older woman."

Elsa felt herself relaxing at the woman's gentle nature, which she certainly had not expected. Josephine's smile waned a little as she eyed the interior of the apartment.

"Oh!" Elsa said, stepping away from the door, "Sorry. Uh, please, come in." She took deep breaths as the woman stepped through the doorframe and into the hall. She followed her into the living room, where Anna was seated on the couch, one of the pillows tossed to the floor.

'_Anna, for God's sakes,' _Elsa spat in her head.

The social worker paid it absolutely no mind, walking over to the younger girl.

"You must be Anna," she said, sitting on an adjacent cushion.

Anna examined her in that way she had, trying to decide if she trusted her or not.

"Are you the social worker?" she asked after a minute.

"Yes, yes I am," Josephine responded.

"But you're not old or fat."

Elsa smacked her palm against her forehead.

'_Anna, please, I'm begging you.'_

Josephine just laughed her off, petting her on the head, "You're a sweetie, you know that?"

"Yes," Anna said, turning her attention back to her book, "I know."

"If you don't mind," Josephine said, standing up, "I'm just going to take a look around real quick."

"Oh, oh yes. By all means," Elsa said, gesturing to the hallway, "Kitchen's to your right, bathroom's to your left."

With a nod, Josephine strode down the hall, taking her time to examine every inch of the place. Elsa grabbed the book out of Anna's hands and tucked it behind the night stand.

"Hey!" the girl cried.

Elsa shushed her, "Anna, it's rude to do that when we have company over."

Anna pouted, crossing her arms, "I didn't ask her to come."

Elsa rolled her eyes, leaning back on the couch. She didn't even have the energy to stop Anna from digging her book back up and resume reading, as if Elsa hadn't just told her not to.

She didn't even realize when Josephine was standing over her again. She said nothing as the woman sat on Anna's other side. The young girl paid her no mind, intently focused on reading.

"Quite the little book worm, is she?" Josephine asked, directing a smile at Elsa.

"Oh, yes," she replied, grinning, "I can't ever get her to stop."

Josephine sat closer to Anna, not taking the girl's cold shoulder as a hint.

"What are you reading?" she asked.

Anna looked up, blinking in surprise.

'_Please Anna, be polite, be cordial, don't say anything stupid.'_

"I don't know what it is," she answered, closing the cover of her book, "It's got a bunch of fairy tales in it though."

"Oh, my daughter loved those when she was your age as well," she said, "She'd read the same few over and over again. Her favorite was always Rapunzel, the one she was named after."

"Your daughter's name's Rapunzel?"

"Yes."

Anna squinted, "That's weird."

Elsa face palmed.

But Josephine only laughed, smoothing Anna's hair back, "Yeah, a little."

Her nerves were getting the better of her, and she wanted to make sure she had a chance before Anna blew it for her.

"Anna?" Elsa said, urging her up, "Why don't you go to the bathroom."

"But I don't hafta pee," she said up to Elsa.

"Anna," she said through her teeth, "Please?"

The girl shrugged and skipped off the bathroom. Elsa didn't let her breath go until she heard the door shut.

"So," she said, looking at the social worker with a nervous smile, "Shall we get down to it?"

"Yes, yes we shall," Josephine said, drawing a file folder out of her bag.

Elsa opened her mouth, ready to say everything Hans told her to, but Josephine silenced her with a finger.

"Listen, Ms. Anderson, I don't want you to think that I'm here to hurt you or that I'm only in it for my agency," she folded her hands, "The ultimate goal here is to do what's in the best interest of Anna, and that could mean a number of different things. And I'm here to help you and I'm here to help your sister. Please, remember that."

Elsa sat there, visibly taken aback.

"But, but the man who was here last week-."

"Oh, the weasel?" She scoffed, "Pay him absolutely no mind. He gets his kicks out of making other people miserable."

Elsa couldn't help but smile, all of the tension she held moments ago lifted off her shoulders.

"Now, as far as this case goes," Josephine said, her tone becoming more serious, "From what I can gather, your father was arrested for various drug related problems. Upon further investigation, we found the house to be in…unhealthy conditions, to say the least."

'_Not surprising in the least,' _Elsa thought.

"Your father is trying to bargain with us to get Anna back as soon as possible, but it doesn't work that way. Even if, and that's a big if at this point, he wanted her back, there's a lot of work that would need to happen. And, if I may be frank, I don't want that to happen because people like that, in my experience, don't change."

"They don't," Elsa said, surprising herself, "Believe me, they don't."

Josephine placed her hand on Elsa's before continuing, "Like I said, I care about what's best for Anna. And from what I can see, for the time being, I believe that it's here with you."

Elsa's jaw dropped, her breath caught in her throat.

"Really?"

Josephine nodded, "Your heart is in the right place, and I can already see that this environment would be better than any group home we would put her in right now."

Elsa bit the inside of her lip to keep herself from crying out in joy.

"Now," Josephine continued, "While I am allowing you to keep her in your custody, some things need to happen to ensure we can maintain it."

"Like what?" Elsa asked.

"For starters, she's going to need her own bedroom. With a real bed," her eyes wandered to the cot, "Now that this is official. Also, when is Anna's birthday?" she asked, consulting her file.

"March 21."

"So she'll be six this year?" Josephine scribbled on her pad.

"Yes."

"Our records show that Anna was never enrolled in school, and she should actually be kindergarten now. So we'll need to take care of that."

'_School! God, why didn't I think of that before?'_

She ripped a piece of paper from her pad, handing it to Elsa.

"There are a few numbers for you. The top one is for an organization that provides housing funds to foster parents. I'm sure your landlord will be happy to upgrade you from a studio to a two-bedroom, given the circumstances. The second is for the local elementary school. We work with them frequently, so they should be very accommodating. The last ones aret he extension for my office and my home phone number." She looked Elsa square in the eye, "Call me if you need help with anything. And I mean that. Alright?"

Elsa nodded, folding the paper up and tucking it between her books on her nightstand.

"Thank you, so, so very much," Elsa said as she led her down the hall.

"It's no problem," Josephine responded, turning to face Elsa as she held the door. "Listen, I understand where you're coming from, Elsa." She placed a hand on Elsa's cold and quivering cheek, tears forming in her eyes, "But…I promise I'm going to do everything to help you." She sighed, composing herself. "Sometimes things don't happen in the most favorable way, but they do work out in the end."

Elsa hung in the doorway long after Josephine walked away, re-running the entire afternoon through her head.

Sure, there was a lot to do, and not much time to do it in, and she was still in a pretty big bind.

But things were going better than usual, and Elsa took that as a good sign.


	8. Fixer Upper

**AN: I feel like this is worth mentioning, but I based Bulda's human character off of the actress who voiced her.**

The next couple of weeks flew by, but lucky for Elsa, they went by smoother than she ever could have imagined. Her landlord was more than willing to give her a two bedroom apartment, and much to her surprise, it would only cost her an extra $50 a month. Gerda and Kai had helped her and Anna move, and even decorated Anna's room, Gerda filling Anna's new bookshelf until it was over flowing.

"You didn't have to do this," Elsa said that night over dinner.

Gerda brushed her off, "Elsa, please. I know I didn't have to do this," She smiled at the girl, "I wanted to."

Arendelle Elementary, the school Anna would be attending, had been on spring break the week Elsa went to register her, so she had more time to make sure her sister was ready for her first day.

Elsa swore she wasn't going to cry, but when Anna was standing in front of the classroom door, in her best dress and new saddle shoes, she started to tear up.

"Have a good day today, alright?" Elsa said, straightening out her pig tails, "I know you might be a little behind, but try your best to keep up. And behave for the teacher, alright?"

"I know, I know," Anna said, batting her sister's hands away, "Elsa I'm a big girl!"

"I know," the older girl chuckled, "Just reminding you."

Children scurried in around the two, leaving behind their chattering parents. Anna stood still, not parting from Elsa's side.

"Go on Anna," Elsa said, giving her a little push.

Anna shook her head, grabbing onto Elsa's hand. A small boy with blonde hair, who'd been standing nearby the entire time, walked over to them as Elsa took her hand back.

"Just go," he said, "Walk in."

When Anna didn't budge, he turned to Elsa, "Why isn't she walking in? Does she know how to walk?"

At that, Anna burst into tears, clinging to her sister's sweater. The boy stood there, eyes going wide.

"Anna, it's okay," Elsa said, patting her back. She heard one of the mothers with a bad perm mutter something about 'special children.'

A tall, blonde woman appeared in the doorway, and upon seeing the spectacle, ushered the boy into the classroom.

"Go inside, Kristoff, you don't want to be late," she said, her voice gentle, like a song.

She turned back to the pair, "This must be Anna, right? Anna Anderson? "

Elsa nodded, trying to pry her sister off of her, "Yes, and I'm her sister, Elsa." Giving up, she lifted the child in her arms, extending one hand in the woman's direction. "And you must be her teacher. Mrs…."

"Fitzherbert," she said, "But please, feel free to call me Rapunzel. Lord knows the children get a kick out of doing that."

The name rung a bell with Elsa, for some reason.

"So!" Rapunzel said, clapping her hands together, "Is everything okay? Is she nervous?"

"You, could say that…." Elsa said, "She's just….had a rough time lately, is all."

A shadow crossed over the teacher's eyes as she said, "I know," that made Elsa realize that she probably had known the entire situation long before Anna even set foot in this school.

Elsa felt her sister pull away from her shoulder, her sobs subsiding to whimpers as she looked at her teacher.

"Hi Anna," Rapunzel said, a bright smile on her face.

Anna said nothing for a minute, examining her new teacher.

'_For the love of all that is good in this world, Anna, please, do not say anything rude.'_

"Your hair is really pretty," Anna said.

It was beautiful, if Elsa did say so herself. It was wavy and golden blonde, extending well past the woman's waist, and was held back with a purple and gold clip.

"Why thank you," she said, "I think yours is quite pretty as well."

Anna half smiled, "I like you."

She urged for Elsa to put her down and ran over to her teacher's side.

"I'm okay now Elsa, you can go."

"Oh! Well, okay," Elsa said, choking back a laugh.

Rapunzel took Anna by the hand, steering her towards the table.

"Anna," she said, "Why don't you go sit at the green table. See that boy there in the black shirt? His name's Kristoff. Ask him to help you get ready for the day."

"But he's a boy," Anna said, scrunching her face.

"I know," Rapunzel said, stifling a giggle, "But I promise he'll be nice to you. And if he's not, just let me know."

Anna sighed, but nodded, taking off for the table.

"Thank you so much for that," Elsa said once her sister was out of ear shot, "I'm just having a hard time acclimating to this. Sometimes I don't know what I'm doing."

"I understand completely," Rapunzel replied, "I see a lot of people going through the same thing. If it helps, it gets easier after the child is adjusted."

"Well, I can only hope so," Elsa said.

Her worry must have been radiating off of her, because Rapunzel placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "It'll be alright. And I'm glad to see that Anna has someone that cares about her so much. Not a lot of kids have that. It's good for her."

Elsa felt herself blushing, "Yeah, I know."

The two looked over their shoulders to the table Anna was at. She was sitting next to the boy, Kristoff, and both of them were coloring on a piece of paper.

"She'll be alright," Rapunzel said, "She seems like a sweet kid."

"She really is," Elsa said.

The bell rang throughout the hall as the last of the parents began to leave.

"I should be going," Rapunzel said, taking a step back, "Just so you know, dismissal's at three-thirty in the classroom."

"Alright. Thank you again," Elsa said as she turned to leave, the teacher's smile still on her mind and her previous nervosa lifted from her shoulders.

xXx

Elsa's history professor had let her leave class fifteen minutes early to make sure she got to the school on time. She was secretly grateful that getting a car wasn't a necessity to keep Anna. Lord knows she could barely afford bus passes half the time, let alone insurance.

By the time she'd arrived at the school, some had already been dismissed, and various parents stood around, looking through the blinding sun for their children. Elsa hung back, opting to wait until the crowd thinned out.

By the time she made it to the hall by Anna's classroom, most of the other people had left, save for a few parents and teachers. Rapunzel stood in the doorway, her hair discheveled, but her smile bright as it had been that morning.

"Oh! Elsa, hello!" she said, "Let me go get Anna. Sorry, I told her to be ready, but she's reading with Kristoff in the corner."

Elsa chuckled and rolled her eyes, imagining her sister bossing that poor boy around.

She leaned against the wall, rummaging around in her purse for the snack she'd brought Anna from her campus market.

"Makes me sick," she heard a voice spit in her direction. At first Elsa, brushed it off, but whoever it was kept firing comments at her for some reason. She looked up to see a woman with greying hair staring daggers at her.

"May I help you?" Elsa asked.

The woman shook her head, "I've just about had it with you teenage parents roaming these halls. Didn't your parents ever teach you to use a condom?"

Elsa blinked, stunned at the audacity of this woman.

"Excuse me?"

The woman's Scottish accent got thicker the angrier she got, "I don't want my children growing up around other children whose parents are degenerates."

Elsa couldn't think of anything to say in response; she was legitimately shocked at this woman's rudeness.

"I can see it on you, and I could see it on your lass this morning when she wouldn't calm down. You have no business raising a child, you're ruining her already."

Ordinarily, Elsa would have brushed this woman off as inconsiderate. But what she said struck a chord with the girl, bringing her to the verge of tears.

Elsa turned, ready to run to the bathroom, when she heard a voice boom behind her, "What's the issue here? I come to pick my son up and I see you harassing some poor girl in the hallway. Mrs. Fergus, you need an attitude adjustment."

Elsa looked behind her to see a taller black woman standing close by, like she was ready to pounce on anyone who tried to hurt her. The other woman's jaw had dropped, her eyes frantic between the two.

"How dare you say that to me?"

"Oh, believe me," the other woman said, "I have better choice words for you, but there are children present."

Rapunzel appeared in the doorway, Anna, Kristoff, and another girl with wild red curls in tow.

"Is everything okay out here?" she asked, her hand holding the children back in the classroom.

"Yes," Mrs. Fergus said, "We were just leaving." She held her hand out, "Merida, let's go."

The girl with the curls ran from behind Rapunzel and took her mother's hand, sticking a tongue out in (what Elsa presumed to be) Anna's direction as she walked away.

"Was Eleanor starting in again?" Rapunzel asked.

The other woman shook her head, crossing her arms, "Of course she was. The woman lives to cause a stink."

Rapunzel turned to Elsa, who still had tears in her eyes.

"Oh god," she said, closing the space between them, "Elsa, she didn't say anything to you, did she?"

Four pairs of eyes were on her, which made her uncomfortable.

"I…." Elsa started, "It's fine. I mean, I'm fine. Now."

She felt a tug at her pant leg, and she looked down to see Anna wedged between her and Rapunzel.

"Elsa, are you okay?" she asked.

The girl could only nod, reaching down to pet Anna's head.

"Yes, I'm alright Anna."

Rapunzel, still sensing the tension in the air, pulled Anna back and called Kristoff out of the room.

"Hey, can you two run back down to the office and pick up some art supplies for me? Just tell them Mrs. Fitzherbert sent you, they'll know what I need."

"Okay," the boy said, walking away, "But this time I'm not carrying it all."

Anna scoffed, chasing to catch up with him, "I'm a lady! You hafta do things for me."

The three adults laughed as the two kids walked down the hall.

"She's quite the character," Rapunzel said between giggles.

"Yeah," Elsa said, "My friend Hans has been letting her watch the Golden Girls when he baby sits."

After a moment of silence, the other woman spoke up, "My name's Bulda, by the way."

"Elsa," the girl said, feeling less timid than she normally did.

"So," Bulda said, "How's foster parenting treating you?"

"Uh…" Elsa said, wondering how the woman knew that.

"I volunteer at the school, Rapunzel filled me in," she said as way of a response.

"Bulda's a foster parent," Rapunzel said, "Well, was, anyways."

She smiled, "I adopted Kristoff a little over a year ago. It was supposed to be a temporary thing, but I got so attached to the little cutie, I just couldn't let him go."

Elsa looked between the two, not knowing what to say.

"That's why I made Kristoff Anna's buddy," Rapunzel eventually said, "I figured he'd understand where she was coming from."

"And that's why I jumped in with Eleanor. She's a stick of a person who needs to think before she speaks."

Elsa felt her heart warm at the outpour of humanity from people she didn't even know.

"Thank you both," Elsa said, "I'm just having a hard time. I can't even imagine what it's like for Anna."

"The transition period is the toughest," Bulda said, "But when you get the swing of things established, it's pretty smooth sailing from there."

Anna and Kristoff appeared from around the corner, both of them carrying small buckets.

"Here you are Rapunzel," Anna said, making a show of handing hers to her teacher. As Anna ran to get her backpack, Kristoff handed his boxes over, saying, "She made me carry those most of the way, you know."

"I figured," Rapunzel said, setting them aside, "But you were a perfect gentleman today."

Kristoff smiled and blushed, rushing off to gather his things.

"See?" Bulda said, slapping Elsa on the shoulder, "It gets better. A little love and attention gets you a long way."

Anna and Kristoff reappeared through the doorway, Anna forcibly holding his hand.

"It helps that they're such good kids," Rapunzel said, winking at Elsa.

"Of course," Elsa said.

"Anna's in good hands," Bulda said, looking from Kristoff to Elsa.

"And besides," Rapunzel said, "If I know my mother the way I do, she wouldn't have had it any other way."

Rapunzel's sly grin made the pieces connect in her head.

Why the name sounded so familiar. Why the teacher was being so nice.

Elsa smiled.

When had her luck begun to run so well?


	9. Do The Magic

The second meeting with the social worker was the week after Anna started school. Despite her recent turn of luck, Elsa was on pins and needles the entire day. Things had a tendency to fall through, and even though she'd done everything that was asked of her, there was still that worry that she messed something up.

'_At least Anna's got a play date today,' _Elsa thought as she made sure everything in the fridge was in code, _'And I don't have to worry about her messing up the apartment.'_

Her head was buried in the fridge when she heard a knock at the door, the shock causing her to slam her head into the veggie rack.

"Sorry I'm early!" She heard Josephine call to her, "I like to be punctual."

Elsa stood up, rubbing the sore spot on her crown.

"It's not a problem" she said as she approached the door.

Josephine smiled at her despite the fact that she looked exhausted beyond belief.

"Come in," Elsa said, stepping out of the doorway, "Would you like anything? A drink perhaps?"

"What? No, no, thank you," Josephine said, striding into the living room. She took a look around, her smile becoming more genuine. "It looks nice!"

"Thanks," Elsa said, brushing her bangs out of her face in nervousness, "My boss…friend helped me out furnishing the place."

Josephine nodded, taking a pad and pen out of her bag, "That's good! And I trust everything else we talked about has been taken care of as far as housekeeping goes?"

"Yes," Elsa said, standing at attention, "I'm guessing you want me to show you, right?"

The woman chuckled, "Yes, that would be a good thing."

Elsa took her into each room, which was thoroughly examined from top to bottom. She kept trying to glimpse at the woman's notepad, and from what she could see, everything was going well. After they'd seen to Anna's room, she caught Josephine smiling at the bookshelf.

"I'm glad to see she's adjusting well," the woman said after a minute.

"She really is," Elsa said, stepping next to her.

"Some kids aren't so lucky," she said, her voice wavering slightly. Elsa noted the tears in her eyes, which were creasing in the corners. Elsa looked to the shelf, seeing what the woman's eyes were fixed on. It was the book of fairy tales that she'd found Anna engrossed with almost every night.

"The system should be a magic fix that takes these kids out of their situations and makes them better, but it isn't always that simple."

Elsa felt a pang in her stomach as she thought back to her childhood. All the teachers who knew something was off but never asked. The welfare workers that turned a blind eye to how their family spent money. The relatives that did nothing to help. She wrung her hands, trying to push the thoughts out of her mind.

She surprised herself by saying, "Sometimes the situation is so well concealed that nobody even questions it." She saw Josephine's face drop. "I wouldn't have even known Anna was being neglected if my mother never brought her here."

The woman bit the inside of her lip, pausing before she spoke, "Some people shouldn't be allowed to have children in the first place. When I adopted my daughter originally, I couldn't believe what I hadn't seen for years and years."

Elsa took a breath and held her hand over her heart, realizing she was talking about Rapunzel.

"My sister had a baby around the time I'd finished college. She had always been very secretive and isolated, but we never thought," her voice caught in her throat, trying to choke back tears, "It wasn't until I went to visit her that I realized how badly Rapunzel had been treated. My sister literally locked her in the basement most of her life." She shook her head, "She was schizophrenic. She'd convinced herself that someone would try to kidnap her daughter if she let her out of the house." The woman stepped forward, her fingers tracing the spine of the book. "It took years of therapy to get her to be happy. And I even still wonder about that sometimes…"

She sighed, turning to face Elsa, "That's why I want to help you. Don't get me wrong, I want to help all the children I see to. But I understand where you're coming from. The situation is terrible, but not unfixable."

She closed her pad and slipped it in her bag, "Sometimes foster care isn't the magic fix everyone thinks it is, Elsa. But it isn't the system that puts the pieces together, it's the people behind it."

Elsa had no words for what she'd just heard. It was a lot to take in. She thought of the kind eyed teacher with the golden hair and shining smile; it was unfathomable that someone that bright came from such dire circumstances.

But, if anything, it instilled more faith in Elsa. Faith that things would work out.

"So," Josephine said, wiping her eyes and composing herself, "I'm glad to see you're doing so well."

The two walked out of the room and back to the hallway, Josephine taking one last look around.

"I should be back in about two weeks' time to check up on you and give you any updates we've had," she said, digging out her car keys, "But it looks good Elsa. It really does."

The girl smiled, folding her hands in front of her.

For the first time, she actually believed it.

xXx

Bulda brought Anna, who, as always, it seemed, was hand in hand with Kristoff, home a little after four.

"Sorry I'm a little late," she'd said as Anna whispered something in Kristoff's ear, "Traffic was a nightmare coming back."

"I can imagine," Elsa said, stepping out the door, "Anna, come on. Kristoff has to go home."

She dropped the boy's hand, but not before turning to him and pointing her finger in his face, "Don't forget to bring the pudding tomorrow like you promised!"

"I know, I know," he said, rolling his eyes and facing his mother, "Can we go get Sven from the vet now?"

The woman took his hand, "I almost forgot about that."

"Kristoff has a dog," Anna said to Elsa, "Can we get one?"

"No," Elsa said, taking Anna's backpack from her, "I'm allergic."

Anna pouted and stepped around Elsa, "You're no fun."

Elsa and Bulda laughed as the girl ran into the living room. Kristoff started to pull on Bulda's hand.

"Let's go! I wanna see him!"

"Alright, alright," she said, letting the boy drag her in the direction of the car, "See ya, Elsa!"

"Bye," Elsa waved, stepping back inside and putting Anna's backpack on the hook.

"Anna, what do you want for dinner?" Elsa called as she stepped into the kitchen.

"A pet dog."

Elsa rolled her eyes, taking two cups from the pantry, "Anna, we are not getting a dog. You can play with Kristoff's if you want to, but we're not getting one."

Anna appeared around the corner, hopping up and sitting on the counter, "What about a cat?"

"We can't afford that," Elsa said, "And besides, we're not allowed to have animals here."

Anna sighed, crossing her arms.

"Hey," Elsa said, getting two boxes of macaroni out of the pantry, "Don't blame me for that one. Blame the landlord."

The younger girl bit her lip in concentration.

"Can we get a snowman?" she asked, "Like Olaf?"

Elsa stopped, looking to her sister, "If we got a snowman, he'd melt."

"But what if we kept him outside?"

Elsa shook her head, "He'd still melt. It hasn't snowed in two weeks Anna."

If the girl wanted to push this any further, she chose not to, jumping off the counter and sulking back to the living room.

Elsa sighed. She hated to say no to Anna, especially given, well, everything that had been happening. And she wasn't opposed to the idea of a pet, (it had even been recommended by the agency, as it gave the child companionship), but it was not practical at the moment.

The older girl stepped away from the counter and went into the living room. Anna was on the couch, her watery eyes glued to the page of a book.

"Anna," Elsa said, crouching down to her level, "Where did all this pet talk come from?"

Anna closed her eyes and shook her head, using the book as a barrier between the two.

"Come on," the older girl said, easing the book down and lifting Anna's chin so they had eye contact, "What's the matter? You can tell me."

The girl opened her mouth, hesitating on her words, "The other kids in class was talking about their family and their pets and stuff. And all the kids at my table had pets, and when I said I didn't, Merida said that I'm the pet cos mama and papa left me like a dog."

A wave of sadness crossed Elsa's eyes as she reached up to stroke her sister's cheek.

'_That's the girl of that mother who insulted me last week. It figures as much.'_

"Anna," Elsa said, "That is not true. You are not a dog. You're a beautiful and smart little girl."

Anna looked into her eyes, not fully convinced.

Elsa, not wanting the girl to burst into tears, stood up, an idea hitting her.

"Besides," she said, "We might not have pets or anything like that, but we have something else."

"Like what?" Anna called, sniffling.

A coy smile crossed Elsa's face.

"Magic."

"Magic?" the girl asked incredulously.

"Yes, magic," Elsa said, crouching to the ground, "Now close your eyes."

Anna sighed, but cooperated, closing her eyes and putting her hands over them.

Elsa raced around the apartment, grabbing. every white pillow and blanket she could find and threw them around. By the time she was finished, the floor of the living room resembled the snow they'd played in weeks before, hopefully enough to provide Anna a distraction.

"Okay," Elsa said, grabbing a tube of silver glitter from her box of craft supplies, "Now say 'do the magic.'"

"Do the magic," Anna said.

Elsa threw a handful of glitter into the air, causing Anna to open her eyes.

"Elsa! Snow!" the girl cheered, jumping from the couch into a pile of blankets.

"Kind of," she said, chucking, "This snow isn't cold, but it's still fun, right?"

"Yes!" Anna said, bouncing around the living room.

The two spent the next hour playing around the fake winter wonderland, throwing glitter, and making paper snowflakes that they hung on the walls.

"I wish Olaf were here," Anna said, sprinkling some glitter in her hair, "He'd love this. And maybe he wouldn't melt."

Elsa sighed and stood up. "I'll be right back Anna," she said, walking to her bedroom. Once in there, she pulled a bag out of her closet. Over the weekend, Elsa had made Anna a stuffed snowman that resembled the one they'd made back on Christmas Eve. It was rather convincing, if she said so herself. She planned on waiting until the girl's birthday to give it to her, but figured after what was said to her, she could use the cheer now.

Elsa reappeared through the hallway, seeing her sister bounce from pillow to pillow.

"Anna," she said, "Close your eyes. I have another surprise."

Elsa took careful steps into the living room, checking to make sure the girl's eyes were actually closed. She saw Anna perched on the floor, hands over her eyes. Elsa sat in front of her, holding the stuffed Olaf behind her back and a handful of glitter.

"Now say 'do the magic.'"

"Do the magic!"

Glitter went up in the air, landing on both girl's heads. Anna's eyes opened in time to see the snowman in Elsa's lap.

"Oh! Oh Elsa!" she screamed, jumping into her sister's arms, holding the snowman close. "It's Olaf!"

"Yes," Elsa said, petting her head, "And he's made from magic snow, so he can't melt."

She saw tears form in the young girl's eyes, but she knew they were tears of joy.

"I love him so much!" she said.

"I'm glad," Elsa replied, wrapping her sister in a hug.

"You're the best sister ever," Anna said, bounding out of Elsa's arms and onto the floor, Olaf in tow.

"No, you are," Elsa said, tossing some glitter, watching as it descended into her palm with a smile.


	10. Sun Signs

**AN: The next two chapters aren't going to be doing much, plot wise. Just some things I wanted to happen in the story. But it will pick up again soon, don't worry.**

'_When did my life start to go so well? That never happens.'_

It's true, things had actually been working themselves out like everyone told her they would. Anna had a few rough nights and days in class, but for the most part was settled within a few weeks. Bulda helped Elsa with getting Anna to and from school so she wouldn't miss anymore class, and when she had to, Hans did his best to make sure she didn't fall too far behind. Even Gerda offered her a raise. (Far more than she should have, but when Elsa tried to argue, the woman was having none of it).

All in all, things were going better than Elsa ever could have hoped for, and was hoping her luck would continue.

One day in early March, Elsa was waiting outside Anna's classroom to pick her up. Normally, the young girl would spend the afternoon at Kristoff's. But she'd just cashed in her paycheck and wanted to take Anna somewhere special since she rarely got the chance to.

The halls were empty for the most part, which Elsa was pretty accustomed to. The days she came to get Anna, she was usually one of the last people to show up.

She was so busy rummaging around in her purse, she didn't notice when Rapunzel appeared in the doorway.

"Elsa! Hello," she said, pushing her hair over her shoulder. Today it was held back with a golden headband with sun patterns on it. Elsa didn't know why she noticed these things, but didn't question it too much.

"Hello Mrs. Fitzherbert."

The woman rolled her eyes, "For the last time, you don't have to call me that."

"I…okay," Elsa stammered, further flustered at the fact that the teacher's presence turned her into a bumbling idiot at times.

A solemn look crossed Rapunzel's eyes as she stood so close to Elsa that she could smell her perfume.

"Do you have a moment?" she said, lowering her voice, "I need to talk to you about something."

Fearing the worst, Elsa started to panic, "Oh God. Is it Anna? Did she do something? Is she alright?"

Rapunzel sighed, "Yes. Well, yes and no."

She must have seen the worry in Elsa's eyes.

"I mean, no she didn't do anything and yes, she's alright." The teacher bit her lip, looking over her shoulder. "Can you come into the classroom for a moment? There's no one in here. I sent Anna and the others to run an errand."

Elsa could only nod as she followed Rapunzel into the classroom.

"Please, have a seat."

Watching Rapunzel sit on one of the children's chairs, Elsa followed suit, finding it rather uncomfortable, but saying nothing.

The teacher looked at Elsa intently, weighing her words carefully before she spoke.

"Anna is a very bright young girl," she said, "Very smart for her age. I would even venture to say that she's probably reading on a second grade level, which is amazing, considering a lot of her peers are just learning to read."

Elsa fought the smile that wanted to show on her face, beaming with pride for her sister.

"Why, thank you," she managed, "She's been reading with one of her sitters since she came to live with me. I never imagined it would take so well."

Rapunzel smiled, but it died as quickly as it appeared, and the knot in Elsa's stomach returned.

"However, I'm worried about Anna socially. She doesn't seem to interact well with the other kids, aside from Kristoff."

She paused before continuing, "I think it has a lot to do with some of the other children. Foster kids aren't always received too well, and Anna sometimes has issues with…standing up for herself. Usually she'll run and hide on the reading rug or cling to Kristoff's side."

Elsa bit her lip, thinking back to that day in the library when her father showed up; how Anna froze and then burst into tears.

"I guess she doesn't deal with confrontation well," Elsa reasoned, picking at her cuticles, "Runs in the family, I guess."

When Elsa said nothing else, Rapunzel reached across the table and squeezed her hand.

"Have you ever considered therapy for Anna?"

The girl's head shot up, "Therapy?"

"Don't take that the wrong way or anything," Rapunzel said, "Most foster children I deal with end up in therapy for one reason or another. It helps them to sort out their feelings in a productive way. I'm surprised no one at the agency has mentioned it yet."

Elsa looked behind the teacher's head to where there were student drawings hung up. She spotted Anna's right away; two girls, a boy, and a snowman.

"I guess it never crossed my mind," Elsa said, putting her head in her hands.

"There's a counselor here at the school," Rapunzel offered, "I mean, in case you didn't want to take it to an actual doctor's office. Not everyone does."

Elsa sighed, looking up to meet Rapunzel's eyes. The look on her face was warm and genuine, like she was trying to help.

Elsa found herself staring; the sun shone through the window, lighting the teacher's hair like a golden halo. It was flabbergasting that this woman, with so much compassion and beauty, was subjected to the abuse she had been. She then thought of Anna, and what would have happened if she hadn't intervened.

No. She couldn't think about that. Not now.

The sound of Anna's voice and footsteps coming down the hall drew Elsa from her trance, looking to the doorway. Kristoff, Anna, and that girl, Merida, came in, each with a box in their hands. Rapunzel stood up, directing them to an adjoining room.

"Guys, I'll show you where to put that, alright?" She looked to Elsa over her shoulder, mouthing 'be right back."

Elsa sat back once they were gone, exhaling and slumping against the chair. Just as she began to calm herself, a disgusted "ahem" came into her line of hearing.

She looked up to see that woman, Eleanor, standing against the doorway, her hands clenched around her purse as if she thought Elsa would try to take it.

Elsa gave her a quick once over and turned back to the wall, not wanting to get into another confrontation.

However, she could feel the woman's eyes on her, as if they were penetrating her stream of consciousness and tracing her every thought. When she looked to meet the woman's gaze, she was still glaring at her.

"Do you have something you would like to say to me?" Elsa said, surprising herself.

The woman stood up straight, huffing as she circled the classroom, "No. I said everything I needed to last time."

Elsa could feel anger growing inside of her. How dare this woman stand there and judge her. And more importantly, how dare Elsa take anyone's disrespect.

She pulled herself up from the chair, straightening her sweater, praying that she didn't start to stutter over her words.

"Not that it's any of your business," she said, "But you really shouldn't go around passing judgment on anyone. Especially when you don't know their circumstances."

The woman blinked once, but Elsa could tell she had her attention.

"I'm not a degenerate, or a teenage mother, or anything else you think I am," she continued, surprised at how strong her voice sounded, "Anna is my sister. My parents were neglecting her and doing illegal things in their house. That's why I'm raising her right now. Because I didn't want to see my little sister go into foster care."

Eleanor didn't move a muscle, clearly digesting every word Elsa said.

"And another thing. I'm not lazy or inept or anything like that. I'm balancing taking care of my sister on top of being enrolled in college full time as well as working a full time job. It's a lot, sure, but I manage. I'm doing the best I can. So maybe you should think before you speak, or before your ill manners rub off on your children."

Elsa looked away, but she knew she left the woman stunned, and hopefully, put in her place.

Two pairs of footsteps came through the doorway, and Elsa and Eleanor looked up to see Rapunzel standing there, Merida right behind her.

"Anna will be back in a minute," Rapunzel said, completely ignoring the older woman, "I'm letting her and Kristoff get some candy from my stash."

Eleanor sighed, holding out her hand, "Come along, Merida."

The little girl bounced over to her mother, taking her hand and following her right out the door, neither of them looking back.

Elsa let go of the breath she didn't realize she was holding as she saw Anna and Kristoff return to the classroom.

"Anna, get your things," Rapunzel said, pointing to the cubby.

As the young girl ran across the room, Elsa felt Rapunzel slip a hand into her own, squeezing it tight.

"Good for you," she whispered, patting Elsa on the shoulder.

As the teacher walked away, Elsa opened the palm Rapunzel just held, a small sun shaped lollypop in her fingers.


	11. Beware the Frozen Heart

**AN: I had another couple of fluff chapters planned, but for the sake of moving this along, I decided not to post them in this story. One of them was actually pretty good, so it may go up as a one-shot later on. Also updating may be irregular over the next two weeks. Midterms are kicking my ass.**

For some reason, the temperature decided to drop in the middle of April. It was unusual, considering summer was approaching. Elsa didn't mind, in all honesty. The cold weather gave her more time to buy Anna the summer clothes she desperately needed.

Over the last few weeks, the luck Elsa had acquired seemed to be running its course. Every time the social worker came over, more mandatory improvements needed to be made; a certain amount of furniture, a land line phone connection, certain types of shoes. Anna's "adjustment" in school didn't last very long either, with the girl coming home in tears more often than not. Elsa did everything she could, even agreeing to send her to the school counselor, but none of it seemed to take. And while her friendship with Kristoff lasted and she was doing fine academically, the older girl worried that it would get back to the social worker and, somehow, impact her ability to keep Anna.

Then, of course, there was the money issue. Even with the raise she'd gotten a months prior, maintaining the household was proving to be difficult. The bills barely got paid, and there was always food on the table, but there wasn't money for extras. Sure, Elsa could subdue her sister with games and library books for now, but wasn't sure of how much longer that would work.

Most of all, there was the looming fear of when she would hear from her mother or father again. It had been a while, but she knew her father well enough to know that his current silence didn't mean a thing, and that he was probably waiting for the perfect opportunity to take what was his.

That looming fear is what terrorized Elsa the most; he didn't care about anything but himself, and was heartless enough to tear their lives apart as long as he got what he wanted.

Even if it meant everything else was destroyed in his wake.

xXx

"Anna, _please_, put the book away and put your shoes on. Josephine will be here any minute."

Visits with the social worker had been very strenuous the last couple of weeks. Josephine, who was usually warm and inviting, had been distant and quiet, keeping their visits very business-like. Elsa knew there was something that the woman wasn't telling her, and that it was only a matter of time before she found out what it was.

And some sense of premonition was telling her that it was not good news at all.

Elsa was so busy tidying up the apartment, she didn't notice when the sharp knock came at the door.

"Elsa," Anna said after the third knock, "I think Josephine's here."

The older girl took a deep breath, clearly flustered. She looked at Anna on her way to the door; the girl still hadn't put on her shoes. Elsa didn't have the energy to deal with it at the moment.

Elsa got to the door at the fourth knock, her heart sinking when she saw Josephine standing alongside Mr. Wesselton, whom Elsa had not had the misfortune of seeing since their first encounter.

"Mr. Wesselton. Do what do I owe your visit?"

The man gave her a once over before rolling his eyes, digging a file out of his briefcase.

"Tell me, Ms. Anderson, do you have a habit of entertaining guests on your patio?" He snapped.

Elsa shook her head, stepping aside to let the man and woman in. She shut the door, placing her forehead against it, trying to catch her breath.

'_This cannot be good news. Not in the least. Why else would the weasel be back?'_

Once Elsa composed herself, she strode into the living room, trying to give the appearance that she was in control of herself. She tried to ignore her sister, who was cowering on the couch.

"Ms. Anderson, I hate to be the bearer of bad news," Mr. Wesselton started, not looking up from the file in his hand, "But in reviewing Anna's case, we've found that her father has completed all of his drug recovery and anger management courses. While he certainly has a long way to go, he has met the minimal requirements for supervised visitation."

Elsa's heart stopped, and she found it difficult to form coherent thoughts.

"B—but….but…" she stuttered out, so quietly she doubt either of them heard her.

Josephine spoke up, trying to maintain a serious composure, "They will be supervised. I will be there at any point she interacts with either of them, and you as well, if you want to be."

The older girl looked over to her sister, who had shrunk away into the couch.

"Of course I want to be there," she said.

'_I wouldn't trust him alone with her in a million years. No way I'm leaving her alone.'_

"Great," Mr. Wesselton said, marking some notes on the file, "So we'll schedule the meeting for—."

"What about me?"

The three of them turned to the meek voice that came from behind them. Anna stood up, and on visibly shaky legs, and walked over to the man.

Struggling to find her strength, she said, "I don't wanna see papa. Why didn't you ask me if I wanted to?"

The man barely regarded her as he said, "Because that's how it works, Anna."

"But I don't wanna see him," the girl repeated.

The man sighed, clearly exasperated, "Your father has put in a lot of work to be able to see you again."

"But I don't wanna see him!" Anna exclaimed, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Okay, okay," Josephine said, stepping between the two of them, "Let's calm down now."

She knelt down so she was at Anna's eye level before speaking, "Anna, I know this is hard, but you won't be alone with him and —."

"The last time I saw him he hurt Elsa!" Anna screamed, near hysterics, "And the time a'fore that I saw him hurt mama! I don't wanna see him!"

With that, she broke away from the group and ran down the hall, her bedroom door slamming shut.

Elsa stood there, stunned at her sister's outburst.

"Tell me, Ms. Anderson, do you normally let her behave that way?" Mr. Wesselton said while tearing some forms off of a pad.

Elsa glared at him, in too much shock to make a response. The man shoved the papers into the girl's hand.

"This is the location and time of the designated visits. I expect you to be there on time for each one. Mrs. Corona will be supervising each one, but if she cannot handle it, I will step in myself."

Elsa's clammy hands bled through the paper, which was trembling under her touch.

As the man turned to walk away, Elsa built up her resolve.

"Mr. Wesselton," she started.

His blank stare nearly stopped her, until she remembered Anna's scared face.

"Is this really necessary?" the girl asked, near tears herself, "Anna's been through so much lately. She's not doing so well. I think this will just put more unneeded stress on her."

When the man said nothing, she continued.

"I understand that steps need to be taken, but does it need to happen this fast? I'm trying so hard to get Anna settled. She's doing well, but she's still fragile. I don't want my father to ruin that."

The man regarded her momentarily, his demeanor unchanging.

"Ms. Anderson, do you remember what I told you during our first meeting?"

He took a few steps towards her.

"I warned you that this was only temporary. Our ultimate goal is to return the child to her natural family. And your father is cooperating quite well with us thus far and is doing everything he needs to. But the question remains, are you doing the same?"

Elsa opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"I can see you're growing attached. And I don't know what Mrs. Corona has been telling you, but your mother and father are on the right track. And if the child is still fragile and not adjusting, that is a reflection of your job as her foster parent, if anything."

Elsa's last nerve split in two.

"Did you not hear what Anna just said?!" Elsa yelled, slamming the papers down on the table, "I'm sorry that your agency doesn't think that domestic violence – which I had not been aware of until a few minutes ago – was excusable with a few anger management courses. But I care about what's best for Anna, and what's best for her might not be our parents."

She stood there, breathing heavily. The man sighed, shaking his head.

"And after that little outburst, Ms. Anderson, maybe you should consider that what's best does not include you."

He turned on his heel, heading for the door.

"Their first visitation is next Tuesday. Be there on time or I will deal with it personally."

As soon as the door shut, Elsa crumbled onto the couch. Josephine, who had not said a word throughout the exchanged, sat next to the girl, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier," she started, "About the visitation, I mean. I didn't want to say anything until we were certain it was happening. I tried to prevent this from happening so soon, but I didn't have much say in the matter."

"It's okay," Elsa said, her voice cracking, "You were only doing your job."

Josephine sighed, "I'm sorry about him too. He was out of line and had no business speaking to you like that."

"It's fine," Elsa said. She struggled to catch her breath. The walls around her seemed to be closing in.

"I will be seeing to all the visitations. They will not be allowed to leave with her or be around her without supervision," Josephine continued, "You can come if you want to, but if it's too difficult to be around them, I'm sure Anna will understand."

Elsa sighed, "No. No I'll be there. It's the least I can do."

The woman opened her mouth to offer more words of comfort, but the pager in her bag went off.

After consulting it, she stood.

"I have another child to see to," she said, gathering her things, "But I just want you to know that I'm here for you. And you have my number if you need it."

The last of the woman's words went over Elsa's head, as she was too consumed with fear to make sense of anything that was happening. She practically sleep walked through filling out a few more forms and seeing Josephine to her car. By the time she was alone again in the apartment, she couldn't even stand upright.

Her parents had already gained visitation after a few weeks. It was a small thing, really, but Elsa knew it meant more. The fact that they were getting so much leeway meant that they were taking the steps to take Anna back. However, no classes, no papers, and no therapist could ever convince her that her parents would take care of her sister the way she needed and deserved.

Her mother may not have known better, but her father was cold, ruthless, and most of all, a good actor. He could have everyone believing that he was a family man, but the façade would be gone the minute the door closed. And if he was hurting her mother, who knows what he was capable of doing to Anna?

She limped down the hall, ready to collapse back onto the couch when she stopped in front of Anna's door.

She could hear the girl's whimpers through the wood, and she wanted so desperately to go in there and comfort her. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't let Anna see her like this. So close to her breaking point. So far on edge.

She made her way to her bedroom, being certain to lock the door before falling to the carpet. She curled up into fetal position, trying her best to catch her breath through the shivers and gasps that clogged her throat.

In that moment, the last few months of stress finally caught up with her in one full-fledged panic attack. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't speak, she could barely see her hands in front of her own eyes.

She buried her face in the carpet, hoping the blue threading would catch the tears that fell and put them back before she had the chance to break.


	12. Strike For Love

Hours passed before Elsa made any move to pick herself up off the floor. Or, it seemed like hours to her. She would have been content to stay on the floor, alternating between hyperventilating and crying, but a knock came to the door, and whoever it was wasn't going to go away.

Using the nightstand as a crutch, she pulled herself into an upright position as the knocking became louder and harder.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she said, but she doubted her voice was strong enough to carry through the door and down the hallway.

She collected herself enough to leave her room, but when she stepped into the hall, she saw Anna standing in front of the open door, Hans illuminated by the sun behind his head.

"Anna," Elsa scolded, "What did I tell you about opening the door without me around?"

The girl hunched away, still visibly shaken from the encounter earlier in the afternoon.

"It's fine," Hans said, stepping into the apartment, "She didn't want to, but I told her to."

Elsa sighed, pressing her palm into her forehead. She could still feel the sweat sticking to her palm, which had now grown cold.

"I thought something happened to you two," he said, petting Anna on the head before cautiously walking towards Elsa, "You weren't in class this morning, you didn't show up for work…"

"What? Work? But I only…It's still early."

"It's after five, Elsa," he said, his voice on the edge between concerned and skeptical.

'_How did I manage to stay curled on the floor for four hours?' _

The older girl looked to her sister, who hadn't moved from her perch near the door.

She managed to let hours slip through her fingers. And it just occurred to her, she never checked on Anna after her outburst with the social workers.

Mr. Wesselton was right. She had no business raising a child.

"Oh my God," Elsa breathed, collapsing against the wall and sliding to the floor. She buried her head in her lap, trying to keep the sobs from escaping her throat. She'd vowed from the get go not to have a meltdown in front of Anna, but her mind was so cluttered she couldn't control herself.

Hans, who she forgot was even present, surprisingly took control of the situation. He sent Anna back into her room, telling her that they'd come see her in a little bit. Once her door was closed, he crouched to the ground in front of Elsa, trying to pull her hands away from her knee caps.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," he said, hesitating in touching her when she recoiled. He sighed, crawling to the space beside her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"What happened? And don't tell me nothing, either, because clearly something did."

Elsa sat up, cupping her hands around her mouth, taking deep breaths to calm herself. But when she opened her mouth to speak, her words were caught behind a lump of anxiety, which caused new tears to form in her eyes.

He scooted closer, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her into his chest.

"Hey, it's okay, I've got you," her murmured against her hair, "Now, just calm down. Whatever it is, you can tell me. I'm here for you, alright?"

She nodded, taking a moment before pulling away so she could speak.

"We had a meeting with the social worker today," she said, her words cracking, "And…and my parents already have visitation with Anna."

She felt his muscles tense around her.

She hiccupped a few times before continuing, "I…I thought that this wouldn't come for a while. It's only been a few months!'

"Well," he said, "Visitation doesn't mean that much, does it? I mean, just because you can see someone doesn't mean you can do anything."

"That's not even the worst part," she said, "Allegedly, my father had been hurting my mother in front of Anna. He was awful, sure, but never physical. And because he attended some two-bit anger management course, they say it's okay."

She pulled away from Hans, his hold making her feel claustrophobic. She dropped her hands to the floor and her legs feel flat in front of her.

"I'm scared Hans," her voice growing smaller with each word she spoke, "I don't want him to hurt her."

She cast a glance in his direction. At first he said nothing, taking it all in.

He chose his words carefully as he spoke, "They wouldn't let that happen…would they?"

Elsa shrugged.

"I have no idea. Josephine seems to be on Anna's side. But the man in charge seems to be more on my parents."

He stretched his legs in front of him, running a hand through his hair.

"That's the thing about these social workers, it seems," he started, "Some of them come in for the right intentions. Some of them turn to social work after a failed career as an attorney, and will always be on the side of their agency."

She cocked an eyebrow in his direction.

"I…I've been talking to the family law people in my classes," he offered as means of an answer to her unasked question, "I figured one of them might be able to help me. Turns out the people at our school are the big losers we always joked that they were."

He shook his head, a weak grin coming across his face, "I found some books in the library in the sociology department. The foster care system can be messed up. The goal to get kids to their families is presented under the guise of 'in the best interest of the child,'" he paused, "It's crap. We all know it."

He leaned over to Elsa, drying the few tears that still fell to her cheeks. She was stunned, mostly at the fact that he'd gone out of his way to help her out in that way.

"But you have Anna's best interests at heart," he said, "And that will show through way more than any piece of paper from a class ever will. It'll work out."

She scoffed, "I appreciate the point you're trying to make. But this isn't a Lifetime movie. Things don't always have a concise and positive ending."

He shrugged, "That's your opinion. And it's negative. And that will do neither you nor Anna any good."

He pulled himself to his feet, extending a hand towards Elsa.

"Now come on, enough moping. Let me take you and Anna out for dinner – my treat. Get you two out of the house."

She took his hand and let him pull her up, and weakly nodded in reply.

"Also," he said, "Don't worry about Gerda. I told her that you were sick. And once she figured out I was lying, she figured that you had family matters to attend to."

She smiled.

"And I took notes for you in class."

She sighed.

"This is the part where you would say 'Thank you Hans, I am eternally grateful for you and everything you do.'"

She giggled, playfully slapping him on the arm.

"Thank you Hans. I appreciate it all, even though you don't have to do any of it."

He looked at her with sympathetic eyes, "I know that. But I love you and I love Anna. So I don't mind in the least."

She patted his hand, fighting the urge to start crying again.

After all, maybe he was right.

xXx

The days leading up to the first supervised meeting with their parents crawled by so slow, Elsa felt like she would crumble under the pressure of the wait. The two had been going through the motions of their day-to-day life, neither of them feeling particularly vocal or energetic.

Anna still maintained a somewhat cheerful manner. But when the day came to face her parents, Elsa was drained of any strength or resolve she'd had the prior two weeks. She spent many nights crying herself to sleep over her inability to be the caretaker she needed to be. She'd barely even interacted with her sister out of fear that what she'd say would do more harm than good. Elsa could barely concentrate, at school or at work, and found herself resembling a zombie in appearance and demeanor as time went on.

Hans, Gerda, and even Josephine said nothing to her about it. Bulda had made very futile attempts to reassure her, but at no avail. If Rapunzel had noticed, she said nothing to Elsa, treating her and Anna as if they weren't walking basket cases, and carrying on as if nothing were wrong.

The day of the visitation, Elsa didn't even bother going to class. She knew that she had to be on time, and there was no way that would be possible. Not that she could concentrate on her equations and sketches otherwise, of course.

She dressed herself in slacks and a button up top, trying to give the illusion that she was put together. She got on the bus early to make sure she'd be the first one in line to pick up her sister. But by the time she got there, she'd been beat out by soccer moms and a few early comers.

'_Of course,' _she thought, _'Because nothing can stand to go right.'_

"Oh, Elsa!"

The girl looked up to see Rapunzel weaving her way through the string of parents frantically.

"Thank goodness you're here early," she said, her hands on her knees, breathless. She took the girl by the hand, leading her into the classroom.

"I need you to help me with something," she said loud enough as to be heard by the other parents. She took Elsa into her office.

"Anna told me she's seeing her parents today," the teacher said once the door was swung around, "I wanted to make sure you were here so when she gets back from the art room, you can be the first ones out of here. Those parents will be there talking to me for hours about just how wonderful their children are, and I know how punctual you have to be for those things."

Elsa let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding as she pressed her hand to her heart.

"Thank you so much," she said, a nervous smile curling around her lips, "The second I saw the line, I started to panic."

"It's okay," Rapunzel said, reaching out to touch Elsa's arm, "I know things like this can be stressful. It's taking a toll on you and your sister, I can tell."

Elsa nodded, her eyes roaming the small room to distract herself from the feeling of sadness that was gnawing at her stomach lining. It was nothing much, really; a chair, a desk, a cork board with little notes. Her eyes stopped at a purple flag-shaped piece of fabric with a sun on it. It was a stark contrast to the otherwise plain office.

Her gaze must have lingered a little too long, because Rapunzel caught her staring.

"It's made of real silk. Or, at least, that's what the vender said that sold it to my husband."

Ordinarily, Elsa would've just nodded, but she would feel rude if she didn't say anything.

"It's beautiful…colorful…"

A weak grin tugged at the corners of Rapunzel's lips, "It's from my wedding day. We had them on the tables in lieu of flowers. Purple and gold, that was the color scheme. The suns were Eugene's idea, actually. That's what he always called me, his sunshine. And he'd sing that song to me…_you are my sunshine, my only sunshine…_"

"_You make me happy when skies are gray,_" Elsa sang along, remembering the words from the few times her mother sang it to her as a child.

"_You'll never know dear, how much I love you,_" they sang in unison, "_Please don't take my sunshine away_."

The two trailed off at the end, chuckling to themselves.

"Your husband sounds like a nice guy," Elsa said after a moment.

"He is…" the girl trailed off, a flash of grief crossing her eyes, "Was…he died about a year ago."

Elsa tucked her hands into her pockets, stepping closer to the woman.

"I'm sorry."

Rapunzel tucked a strand of hair behind her head. The golden sun clip held her bangs out of her eyes.

"Thank you," she said, her sadness betraying her in a cracking sigh, "It's…it's been rough, you know? A lot of negative days. Not sure I'd ever be happy again."

The teacher stepped towards the door, propping it open slightly. She stared into the classroom for a good minute, her eyes on Anna, who was coming in the door, dragging Kristoff behind her.

Elsa saw something cross her glassy eyes.

"I know what it's like to feel like things will never be okay," she said, still not facing Elsa, "But…grief passes. Sadness passes. Tears dry. It'd be so easy to sit in the corner, frowning at all the negativity." She turned to face the girl, a genuine smile on her face, "It's harder to be strong. Harder, but not impossible."

She reached out and placed her hand on Elsa's shoulder, squeezing it slightly, "Just trust me on this Elsa. People come and people go. But their love…that's forever. And once you have love…knowing it's there, that it's present, somehow, make it easier."

Rapunzel's eyes looked into Elsa's, and they shared a moment of understanding. The teacher's words had more impact than they did from the mouths of others just offering their best wishes.

She knew pain, suffering, and loss. But still managed to love as if she'd never been hurt.

She knew where Elsa and Anna were coming from. And whether she knew it or not, Rapunzel had just given her the strength she needed to pick herself up off of the ground.


	13. Strike For Fear

**AN: Sorry if this chapter is a little scatter brained, I've been sick all week. **

During the bus ride to the social worker's office, Anna's energy lingered somewhere between nervousness and idleness. The few times Elsa tried to prod words out of the girl, she simply shook her head, opting to keep her eyes on the cover of her book. Eventually, Elsa gave up. Although the lack of conversation made the bus ride seem much longer than it was.

The older girl started tugging at the ends of her hair, biting her lip as buildings flew past the windows, and their final destination grew closer. She struggled to keep herself from shaking and just prayed that she wouldn't have a meltdown before they got there.

'_Public transit is the last place I'd want to start hyperventilating.'_

She sighed, leaning her forehead against the grubby glass of the window. Even with Rapunzel's words in her ear, Elsa still found herself very apprehensive. It wasn't her mother she was worried about, frankly. Her mother was passive enough that she was no real threat. On her own. It was seeing their father that worried Elsa the most. She hadn't seen him since their confrontation in the library, and she knew enough to know that the bad blood, albeit dried, would still be there between them.

She hoped, deep down, that something had happened and her father couldn't make it. Car trouble, perhaps. Or maybe he had to get a job.

'_Maybe he died.'_

Elsa jumped at that thought penetrating her subconscious. The words relayed in her head, causing even her bone marrow to run cold. Sure, she couldn't stand the man, but did she really just wish her own father dead?

She wrapped her arms around her stomach, trying to control her anxiety.

'_Get it together, Elsa. For Anna. The last thing you need is another incident in front of the weasel.'_

Unfortunately, her fears only grew as the bus halted to a stop outside of a two-story gray building next to a pizza parlor and the city court house. She took Anna by the hand and led her down the aisle and onto the sidewalk, being sure the secure the girl's coat around her shoulders. Any hope she'd had of her father missing this visit vanished as she saw his broken down car in the far right corner of the parking lot.

Elsa's eyes started to water; from the cold or out of worry, she didn't know. But she dried her eyes and tried to maintain her composure as she led her sister into the building and up the stairs to the second floor. She followed the map on the wall that indicated where she needed to be. The meeting was to be conducted in the play room, to make sure the children were as comfortable as possible.

'_Not that Anna is going to be comfortable around either of them, but hey, whatever helps them sleep at night.'_

She pulled Anna along, and they stopped outside of a red door that read "FOR VISITATION ONLY." Swallowing her anguish, and the bile that was creeping up her throat, Elsa reached for the doorknob, stepping to turn it, only to be jolted back into place by her sister, who hadn't moved.

"Anna," Elsa said, looking down at the girl, "We have to go. We can't be late."

She shook her head violently, "No! I don't want to go in there!"

Elsa sighed, trying to drag her along.

"Anna, we don't have time for this."

"No!" the girl exclaimed, pulling back against Elsa's hold, trying to run in the other direction.

"Anna, enough!" the older girl yelled, trying to get Anna to move.

"I don't wanna see mama or papa!" Anna said through her tears, trying to get her hand away from her sister's, "Papa scares me!"

"I know!" Elsa said, then again, her voice softening, "I know."

She bent down so that she was at Anna's eye level before continuing.

"I know you don't want to do this. I don't particularly want to either."

"Then let's go home," the girl said, her voice cracking.

"It doesn't work that way. It's more complicated than that."

"I don't like it," Anna said, barely a whisper.

"You want to know something Anna?" she asked, brushing the girl's bangs out of her tear filled eyes, "He scares me too. But I promise, I'm not going to leave you alone while we're here. Okay?"

The girl nodded, and Elsa reached over to wipe the tears off of her cheeks. Just as she stood up, she heard quick heeled footsteps come up behind her.

"Hi Elsa. Hi Anna," Josephine breathed, bending to give both of them a hug, "Sorry I wasn't here sooner. I had a hectic day and…well, that's not important now."

The woman reached into her bag and pulled out a notebook and a small digital watch.

"Alright," she said, "Let me explain how this is going to work. Your parents are both already here."

Elsa gulped, suddenly more terrified than she believed she would be at the thought of her father being under the same roof as her.

"The visitation is limited to twenty-five minutes for the first few weeks, but after that, we'll see how they progress, and that time might extend. But that's pretty far off, nothing we have to deal with right away."

Elsa took a deep breath and took Anna's hand in her own, squeezing it reassuringly.

"So," Josephine said, clapping her hands together, "Are we ready?"

Anna looked up at Elsa with a smile.

"Yes. Yes we are."

xXx

They were not, in any sense of the word, ready.

At the very least, Elsa wasn't.

The moment her eyes locked with her father's, it took every ounce of will power to keep her from collapsing to the floor on the spot.

'_Keep it together for Anna. Don't think about it'_

"How have you been doing Elsa?" her father asked.

She didn't look up, simply responding, "Fine."

"It must be difficult," he said, "Raising a child on your own."

'_Not that you would know anything about that.'_

"Elsa, look at your father when speaking to him," her mother said.

The girl forced her head up, glossing over both of her parents without really acknowledging either of them. Her mother looked better than she had before. She still looked exhausted, but she didn't look as sickly as she always had. Her father looked better than he ever had. The whites of his eyes weren't red for once, and he didn't reek of alcohol. However, he still had an aggressive air about him. It was his personality more than a result of binge drinking. It was such a part of him that she could even see anger flowing through the veins that stuck out in his arms.

No, she still didn't trust him. And she sure as hell wouldn't acknowledge him when she spoke. He didn't deserve that kind of respect from her.

Elsa looked over to Anna, who'd been quiet the entire time. Their mother had attempted to hug her on the way in, but Anna didn't return the gesture, opting to run to her older sister and stay in the chair beside her. She hadn't moved since, her tiny fingers wrapped around the sleeve of Elsa's sweater, half of her face hidden behind her arm. Anna's fear literally radiated off of her; so much so that Josephine didn't even attempt to make her interact with her parents. The result of this was an awkward and quiet meeting, which mostly consisted of Josephine asking questions to anyone who would answer them.

Their father evidently had enough of this, because he directed his attention to Anna, his voice taking on a demanding tone.

"We didn't come here to make small talk," he said, standing up, "Anna, come here. I haven't seen you in a while. I just want a hug."

The girl shook her head, turning so that her entire face was hidden in the fabric of her sister's sweater.

"Anna," his voice sharpened, "I wasn't asking you. Come here."

Elsa could feel tears seep through to her skin. She wrapped an arm around Anna's shoulder.

"It's okay," she said, glaring at her father.

Elsa could tell he wanted to do something, but was keenly aware of the social worker's presence.

Through gritted teeth, he said, "I came all this way to see her, and this is what I get?" He looked to Josephine, "Can't you make her talk to us?"

The social worker sighed, crossing her arms.

"I can't make Anna do anything she doesn't want to. Besides, I said you could see her. She's right there. You can see her."

The man huffed, clearly agitated that things weren't going the way he wanted them to.

"Anna," he tried again, "Come on. I don't bite. It's okay."

The girl peeked out from behind her sister, her fingernails now grinding into Elsa's arm.

"No," she said.

He shot a piercing gaze in Elsa's direction that knocked any sense of courage she had out of her. She knew she should say something, but even now, was too afraid to move a muscle.

Josephine stood up, reaching out to pick up Anna.

"If you three don't mind, I'm going to take Anna to my office momentarily."

"But we still have ten more minutes," their mother said.

Josephine barely looked at the woman as she said, "I think Anna's had enough of this for one day, don't you?"

She held the girl closer to her, "Besides, it would be in your best interest to cooperate with me. I can cancel these meetings as easily as they were set up if you," her eyes focused on the father, "give me a reason to do so."

She turned to Elsa, "I need to talk to Anna alone for a minute. Standard protocol in these cases. You can come get her in about fifteen or so minutes."

Elsa nodded, and with that, Josephine left her, alone with her parents.

As soon as the door was shut, her father spoke up, "So you're brainwashing her against us now?"

Elsa's eyes stayed on the floor, not moving from the tip of her shoes.

"I didn't do anything," she said.

"Well, why didn't she want to come near either of us?"

'_Because she's afraid of you, you inept jackass. Anna doesn't care that you went to a few classes and lied to a social worker. She's still scared of you.'_

But she only shrugged in response.

"What happened to that backbone you developed?" he asked, standing over her, "You have nothing to say now?"

Although every fiber of her body was signaling for her to run out of the room, she stood face to face with her father, trying to hide the trembling in her voice.

"I have plenty to say to you. But this is neither the time nor the place."

Her eyes darted from his eyes to his feet, and her resolve left her in one breath.

"Now, if you'll excuse me."

The girl grabbed her bag and darted out the door before the man could do or say anything in retaliation. She wasn't but a few feet down the hall when she heard someone call out to her.

"Elsa, wait!"

She didn't need to turn around to know it was her mother. Then again, she was in no mood to face the woman either. But she couldn't ignore her, no matter how much she wanted to.

The woman stepped in front of her, her eyes narrowed in Elsa's direction. The girl kept her fingers curled tight around her purse strap.

"Alright Elsa," she said, "What was that?"

Elsa shrugged, "What do you mean?"

The woman rolled her eyes, "You know very well what I mean."

She closed the gap between then, speaking to her daughter in the most degrading tone she could muster, "Your father and I have gone above and beyond to be able to see Anna. And neither of you make an effort to be cordial."

"Anna didn't feel comfortable, understandably so."

"She wouldn't feel uncomfortable if someone weren't making her," the woman spat, "Look, Elsa, I know you mean well. But this was only meant to be temporary and you knew that."

Ordinarily, Elsa would've just stood there and let her mother talk until she gave up and walked away. However, the fire that had been building up her courage over the last few months had its tendency to roar. And this was one of those times.

"True, that is what you said," she started, "And I know that his was also supposed to be temporary, but now I know a lot more than I did when you dropped Anna on my doorstep months ago. And I love Anna enough to see that she gets the care she needs."

"Elsa," the woman sighed, exasperated, "Stop with this. Your father and I love Anna just as much as you do."

"Oh really?" Elsa's brows knit together in anger, "When did you two love her more? When you didn't feed her for days on end? Or how about when you'd drink with her in the house? No, no, I think it has to be when dad knocked you from room to room with her watching."

The woman's jaw dropped.

"There isn't much that gets by me these days, _mother_," she said as though it were a cuss word, "And I don't know how great of a job this agency is doing of overseeing our case, but like I said, I'm going to do what's best for Anna. And if that means me raising her, then so be it."

"Elsa, what do you know about raising a child?"

The girl's voice wavered on the words that had been hanging on her tongue her entire life, "A hell of a lot more than either of you ever could know."

A moment of silence hung between them. Both of them were surprised at Elsa's apparent backbone, as she had never been the type to argue or speak up. But Anna needed her too, and that's what mattered.

She could see tears brimming her mother's violet eyes.

"Elsa…why are you doing this to us?"

On the surface, her mother seemed upset, but Elsa knew this act all too well. And she was much too old to fall for it now.

"Don't bother trying to guilt trip me," she said cooley, "Because I'm not having it. And by the way, anything you have to say to me from this point onward, you can tell Josephine and have her relay it to me. That goes for father as well. I'm through here."

She didn't linger to see her mother's reaction; she turned on her heel and started walking back down the hall, her breath frigid with pain and unease.


	14. Frozen Fractals

Both girls were silent on the way home, neither of them sure what to do with themselves. Anna hadn't said a word since she left Josephine's office, and Elsa's nerves were still on edge from the meeting. She couldn't believe what she'd said to her mother, and knew that she, in turn, would tell her father. But she didn't allow herself to think about that. If she did, the few shards of sanity she had left would shatter into a million pieces.

When they arrived back at their apartment, Anna ran over to the couch while Elsa took her time peeling her shoes off of her feet. She threw her purse to the ground, not even bothering to check her phone. She knew she was late to work, and that Gerda would be mad. But she'd deal with that later.

She followed her sister's foot steps into the living room, sitting beside her. Anna was curled up with her stuffed Olaf, her head resting on the arm of the couch.

"Are you okay?" Elsa asked, surprising the younger girl.

Elsa felt terrible; she knew that she'd barely made an effort to talk to her sister in a couple of weeks. But she couldn't dwell on that, only move forward.

Anna shrugged, picking at one of the buttons on the snowman's chest.

"I didn't wanna see them" she said.

"I know," Elsa sighed, leaning back, "I'm sorry."

She bound her arms around the snowman's neck, "I don't wanna see them again."

Elsa rolled her eyes, "Anna, we went over this. You have to see them."

"Why!?"

The older girl groaned, throwing her arms up in the air, "Anna, we've been over this too. That's how this has to work for now."

Elsa expected some form of grumbling or pouting, but was shocked when she stood up and faced her.

"I don't want it to be like that! I don't wanna see mama or papa ever again!"

"Well I'm sorry," Elsa said, her voice raising, "There's nothing I can do about it!"

Anna stomped her feet, "But you said you'd take care of me!"

"Anna, that's not fair. That's something that's out of my control."

"It is too fair! You promised!"

Elsa, her last nerve ready to snap in two, stood up, "I never promised that Anna!"

She knelt down, taking the girl's chin in her fingers so they were making eye contact.

"Look, I don't like seeing them anymore than you do, alright? But I don't have a choice, and neither do you."

The girl broke free, shaking her head.

"No!"

"Anna, you have to go see them, and that's it!"

"No!"

Elsa could feel herself yelling, and didn't really care, "I'm not going to discuss this with you anymore. You have to see them. Unless you want to be taken away from me? Is that what you want?"

"Yes!" the girl screamed, throwing the snowman at Elsa's legs as hard as she could, "I hate you!"

Before Elsa could respond, the girl took off down the hall and ran into your room. Having absolutely no sense about her, the older girl walked up to Anna's door. She tried to turn the knob, but it was lock. She started to pound on the door as hard as she could.

"Anna, open the door right now!"

A muffled, "No!" came from the room.

Elsa pounded so hard the door started to vibrate. Her anger was taking over her body and she couldn't control it. She hit the door, she pulled on the knob, she even kicked the nearby wall.

"Anna Marie Anderson, you open this door right now or so help me God I'll –."

She trailed off, her fist frozen mid-knock. She could see her hands trembling with rage and could feel the heat escaping her head.

'_Oh…oh my god.' _

She let her arm dangle to her side, taken aback at how she almost lost her temper.

'_I'm turning into my father…no…'_

Her mind was vacant of thought and her body was absent of feeling. Her feet dragged her back down the hall and into her bedroom, and threw her face down into her bed. She buried her face in her pillow, a flurry of emotions battling for dominance in her mind. Her words couldn't even catch up with her thoughts, and her conscious was spiraling around in fragile fractals that penetrated her blood stream, causing her body to become cold until finally, she passed out.

xXx

"Elsa?"

The tiny voice was followed by a soft knock. It was quiet enough that the small noises picked Elsa up out of her sleep.

"Come in," she said, her voice groggy.

She didn't move a muscle as the door creaked open and a patch of red hair walked across her floor. Anna stood at the side of the bed, sadly looking up at Elsa.

After a moment, the girl spoke up, her eyes falling to her feet.

"I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it."

Elsa smiled, "It's okay Anna. You don't have to apologize. I know you didn't."

The girl inched closer to the edge of the bed.

"That was mean of me. I don't hate you. You're my big sister. I love you a lot. I was just mad."

Elsa reached out, petting her on the head.

"It's fine. I know you didn't mean it. And…I'm sorry I yelled at you."

As Elsa dropped her hand, Anna bit her lip and folded her hands behind her back.

"You scared me…"

Elsa's heart sank, and she felt worse, if that were even possible. Anna didn't even need to finish that sentence, because she knew what she wanted to say.

'_You were acting like our parents.'_

She didn't want to start crying, but Elsa felt so overwhelmed. She sat up, reaching her arms out to help Anna onto the bed.

"Come here," she said, "We need to talk."

Once the girl was seated on the bed, Elsa sat back, wringing her hands. She didn't know what to say, but she never seemed to know what to do when it came to her sister. She figured she should just start talking, and hopefully she'd hit on something.

"Like I said, I'm really sorry I yelled at you and lost my temper. I didn't mean to, and I would never hurt you…"

She trailed off, realizing those words were so empty in that girl's ears.

"I don't know what I'm doing, Anna. I really don't. I'm trying my best, but sometimes I get really lost."

She stroked the girl's hair.

"I'm trying though. And I know I mess up sometimes, and things aren't perfect around here…but…but I'm going to try my best, alright? And I know you don't want to see mom and dad. I don't either. I wish you didn't have to see them. But that's what we have to do for now. If there was a way out of it, believe me, neither of us would be there."

She pulled Anna into a loose embrace.

"I know what you're going through right now," Elsa continued, her voice softening and quivering, "I know that they can be awful people. And I know just how much they're capable of hurting others. I wish you didn't have to be around them anymore. I really do."

Anna pulled away, looking up into her sister's eyes.

"Were mama and papa mean to you too?"

Elsa sighed, nodding her head.

"Yes, Anna, they were."

The girl curled up against Elsa's chest, playing with the end of her braid.

"How?"

A chill went through Elsa's stomach. She knew that Anna would ask this eventually, and she knew that she'd never be ready to respond to it. She'd spent years concealing the memories and pain from her childhood. Yet in that moment, they all came back a barrage of knives puncturing the fine canals in her mind.

"Mom and dad drank a lot. They fought a lot. I usually was thrust into the middle of it. Having to clean up broken glasses or calm mom down when she was crying. I was a little kid, I didn't really know what to do."

She brushed her palms against her cheeks, stopping the tears before they could fall.

"That was when dad was around. Usually he wasn't. And mom…well, mom couldn't keep a job. So we didn't really have a place to stay. Most of the time we could afford the rent, sometimes we couldn't. So we slept where we could…"

She took a deep breath as she pushed back the images of park benches and homeless shelters, crawling with germs and people who would smack her around the bathroom for the few quarters she had in her pocket.

"A few times, mom tried to leave me with her sister. But she didn't want me anymore than mom or dad did. Somehow, I always ended up back with our parents. Nobody was really looking out for me. Almost like…I deserved all that because I dared to be born."

She turned back to her sister, not caring that she was crying.

"So…when I say I'm going to do the best for you, I mean it. I realize I'm not perfect, but I don't want you to go through any of that."

She kissed Anna on the head, rubbing her back lightly. The girl reached up, brushing the tears from Elsa's cheeks.

"Elsa?"

"Yes?"

The girl looked at her for a moment, some emotion crawling across her face.

"I love you."

Elsa hugged her tight, "I love you too, snowflake."

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" she murmured against Elsa's chest.

The older girl nodded, sliding over to make room for Anna on the bed. She pulled the comforter up from the edge and wrapped them both in it, kissing Anna on the forehead. Once they were both settled, Elsa closed her eyes, ready to get some sleep.

She felt her sister inch closer to her, clinging to the front of her shirt. A few seconds later, she felt a wetness cross her stomach. She pulled the blanket back to see Anna near hysterics.

"Hey. What's wrong?"

The girl hiccupped a few times, but her sobs resumed right after. Elsa held her close, rubbing her back until she calmed down. The girl said nothing, and Elsa didn't push her.

After a while, her breathing became even, and Elsa figured she'd fallen asleep.

But not soon after, she spoke up.

"Elsa…daddy hits me sometimes."

Elsa's heart stopped cold.

"I'm sorry I lied to you and Josephine when you asked. But I was scared."

Elsa's eye started to twitch.

"He scares me Elsa. I don't want to see him anymore."

With that, the girl began to nod off. Elsa, however, laid there for a while, completely numb, her heart and resolve to be civil crashing to the ground.

xXx

"I'll kill him," Elsa spat into the phone, pacing the stoop in front of her apartment.

"I'll kill him with my bare hands for ever hurting her."

She took a deep drag of the cigarette she found on her neighbor's window sill. Normally, she didn't smoke, ever, but she was so worked up that she had to do something to occupy her hands before they could go around her father's neck.

After Anna had fallen asleep, Elsa jumped out of bed, treading the apartment in a frenzy. A little while later, Bulda called to set up a playdate for the children. At which point, Elsa completely broke down, telling her everything that happened that day, and not stopping until she reached Anna's big revelation.

"Just take a deep breath to calm your nerves," Bulda said, "You're not going to do anyone any bit of good worked up."

Elsa stopped, grinding the end of the cigarette into the wall before leaning against the door.

"Okay," she breathed, pressing her palm into her forehead, "What do I do now?"

"First thing's first," the woman began, "You have got to get ahold of Josephine first thing in the morning. Get those visitations cancelled."

"Okay."

"Second, they're gonna want to investigate this. But, based on what you've said, your mother will be an easy egg to crack and would rat him out anyways."

"Alright," Elsa said, making a mental checklist.

"I know he's done the anger management, but that was in regards to his wife. Child abuse is a whole other level of fuck-up when it comes to this agency. They don't take it lightly."

"As well they shouldn't," Elsa said, lowering herself to the ground.

"What's shocking is they didn't find this out sooner."

Elsa stretched her legs out in front of her, "Anna wasn't talking much and my father's a convincing liar. He probably didn't…touch her the night he left. Lies of omission are his favorite thing in this world."

Bulda sighed, "I'm really sorry, Elsa. You and Anna are sweet girls who don't deserve any of this."

"It's okay," Elsa said, "I'm just glad she told me. I knew there had to be a reason she didn't want to see them. And it explains her outbursts the last few times."

It was silent for a moment before Bulda spoke up again.

"Just take it from me Elsa, kids are fragile. They don't have words for what they're feeling yet. All this confusion and anger and sadness…"

"Fractaled," Elsa said.

"Excuse me?"

"That's a word I made up for it when I was a kid," Elsa said, "You're feeling too many emotions to properly tell what any of them are. You're broken but you're unsure of why. Somewhere between fractured and frazzled: fractaled."

When Bulda said nothing, Elsa chuckled, "I don't know. It made sense when I was eight."

After another pause, Bulda spoke up.

"I believe in you Elsa. And Anna believes in you. Considering what she's been through, that says a lot. Just trust me, it's going to get better. Fractaled feelings and all."

The two made small talk for a little while longer before hanging up.

Elsa set the phone on the concrete, looking out at the night sky. It was still cold, for whatever reason.

She sighed, not moving from her spot on the ground.

Her mind was still too disorganized and frenzied to make sense of everything. Eventually, she got up and went back into the apartment, crawling into bed with her sleeping sister.

She'd deal with it in the morning.


	15. Conceal, Don't Feel

**AN: I'm going to be mad busy this week, so I don't know if the next update will come before Friday. I'll try, but I'm sorry if that doesn't happen.**

"I wish Anna would have told us this sooner," Josephine said as soon as the door to her office was shut, "But I understand why she wouldn't. Better late than never, I suppose."

Elsa had called the social worker as soon as the office opened at seven that morning. The woman was silent for a while, before telling the girl to keep Anna from school and bring her into the office. The younger girl was left in the care of the on-staff psychologist, who would be getting a full report from her.

"I'm not sure what even prompted her to tell me, honestly," Elsa said, "But I was so mad. I didn't know what to do. I still don't. Anna hasn't really spoken to me since."

Josephine offered a weary smile, "Children in these circumstances get scared. They think maybe that if they tell, the problem will get worse for them. Or that it will continue."

Elsa had a brief flash to the day before, when she nearly kicked Anna's door in.

"Well, in any event, a police officer should be here at any point to get a report from both of you."

Elsa froze in her seat, her hands going cold.

"P—police officer?" she choked out.

Josephine sighed, "I know I said that I didn't want to draw too much attention to this, but physical acts against a child are a serious matter. A crime. We need to at least press charges if we want to keep him far away from Anna."

Elsa nodded, not sure what to say in response.

"I promise," Josephine said, patting her hand, "We're not going to scare her or anything. We just need to find out what happened. Her testimony means more than anything."

"Okay," the girl said after a moment, "Can I be with her?"

Josephine bit her lip, standing up, "I will see what I can do. For now, let's go see to her."

Elsa stood, her sneakers scuffing against the tile as she shuffled out of the office.

xXx

The process went by faster than Elsa would have ever thought. They found Anna on an orange couch, drinking a juice box, somewhat content. Josephine asked Anna a few questions, and each answer the girl offering made Elsa's blood turn to frost bite.

…_just trying to go to bed…_

…_pushed me into the wall…_

…_pushed me down the stairs…_

…_mama told him to stop…_

…_he never said sorry…_

Elsa wanted to run out of the room. The image of her father taking his frustration out on the small girl was too much for her to process. But then Anna would squeeze her hand, bringing her back into the present.

She had to stay.

She _needed _to stay.

After lunchtime, Josephine brought the two into a small room with a table, four chairs, and a window overlooking the city. Once they were all seated, the door opened again and an Asian woman in a police uniform stepped into the room. After the officer and the social worker exchanged a few quick words, they walked over to the two sisters.

"Hello," the woman said, extending her hand to Elsa, "My name is Officer Fah. Feel free to call me Mulan."

Anna looked her up and down, pulling at the hem of her dress, "You're the cop?"

The woman blinked twice before answering, "Yes, I am."

Anna tilted her head, "But you're a girl."

Elsa rolled her eyes, "Anna, that's rude."

Mulan smiled, "It's fine, really."

She sat down across from the girl, folding her hands, "Girls can be cops too, you know. Girls can do anything."

The young girl shrugged and resumed pulling apart the fabric of her outfit.

Just as Elsa settled in, she felt a tap on her shoulder as Josephine pointed to the door. Elsa rose from the chair, following her into the hallway.

"So, as it turns out, we're going to need to speak to Anna alone," she said as soon as they were out of the room.

"Wh—what? Why?" Elsa exclaimed, starting to panic.

Josephine folded her hands, "Confidentiality. It's standard procedure, but having your present might be considered an influence on the things she tells us."

Elsa sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'll keep an eye on her," the woman said, "And Officer Fah works with us on a regular basis. She's a great woman, works well with the kids—."

"But Anna needs me in there with her," Elsa said, her voice straining.

The woman placed a hand on her shoulder, "Elsa, I know how protective you are of her. But I promise that we're not going to let anything happen to her. Plus, it was already explained to Anna and she understands."

Elsa looked to the ground, defeated.

"How long will she be in there?"

Josephine checked her watch, "An hour. Maybe two."

Elsa rubbed her arms, "What should I do in the meantime?"

The woman reached into the file in her hand, pulling out a few slips of paper.

As she handed them to the girl, she said, "I actually need you to do me a favor, if you don't mind."

"What is it?"

She slipped the papers into Elsa's hand.

"In events like this, we send notification to the child's school that the parents are not allowed contact with them in any form, as the school is the first place the mother or father would go to try to take the child."

Elsa's hands started to shudder, "You mean…like kidnapping?"

Josephine weighed her words carefully, "Again, this is all cautionary. I don't think that would happen. But in case…we need to cover our ground."

Elsa sighed, the shakiness of her breath betraying her stoic demeanor.

"One copy goes to the administration, one goes to the counselor, and one goes to her teacher."

The girl nodded, trying to calm herself enough to remember what she needed to do.

"You don't even need to explain everything, just tell them that this came from the Department of Children and Families. They'll take it from there."

"Okay," Elsa said, wiping the beads of perspiration that were forming on her forehead.

"Hey," Josephine said, taking her hand, "Just breathe. It's going to be fine."

Elsa tried to nod, but couldn't move her head.

"I know this is a lot to take in," she continued, "But we're going to do everything we can to make this easier for Anna and for you."

She turned to the door, placing her hand on the knob, "I have to go take care of this. Will you be alright?"

Elsa looked from the papers to the woman's eyes, which were full of more understanding than she felt she deserved.

"Yes," she said, "I'll be fine."

xXx

By the time she made it to the classroom, it was likely recess time, because the room was empty save for a few parent volunteers. As one of them stood from a messy table, Elsa instantly recognized the brown and gray long hair. Not in the mood for a confrontation, she stood by the trashcan, trying to be still and silent.

When the woman turned around, she saw Elsa and was immediately taken aback.

The pair said nothing as Elsa chewed on her fingernails and Eleanor cleared plates and cups from around the room.

As soon as she filled a bag, she stopped a few feet from the girl, sighing.

"I'm sorry about before," she said, not quite meeting Elsa's eyes, "It was wrong of me to be so vocal and presumptuous."

"It's fine," Elsa said, figuring at this point she needs to choose her battles.

"Also," the woman said, "I'm sorry about anything Merida might have said to her. I feel as if I encouraged it."

"Don't worry about it," Elsa said, distracted.

The woman must have picked up on this, because she asked, "May I ask if everything's alright?"

Elsa sighed, not in any capacity to feign exhaustion or any other lie.

"Just…going through some stuff with me and Anna's parents. Turns out they treated her worse than we originally thought, so now they're…investigating…." She trailed off, figuring the woman didn't need to hear their entire life story.

"I'm…sorry to hear that," she said in response, her words surprisingly sincere.

"Yeah…." Elsa said, looking around the room, still a little dazed, "You wouldn't happen to know where Rap—I mean, Mrs. Fitzherbert is, do you?"

Eleanor shook her head, "She went somewhere with Kristoff's mother a little while ago, but she didn't say where."

A few seconds later, the blonde appeared in the doorway.

"Oh, hi Elsa," she said, "Is Anna sick today?"

"What?" Elsa said, too lost in her own nervosa to process anything, "I mean, no, she's not sick."

The teacher pouted, "Is she alright?"

When Elsa said nothing, she kept talking, "Today was field day. Anna's been excited about it for weeks."

Elsa vaguely recalled Anna mentioning that when they went shopping the other day, when she asked for new hair ribbons to match the shirt she'd have to wear. Elsa had told her no; they couldn't afford it. She wished she had just said yes.

The girl sighed, trying to figure out what she should say with Rapunzel watching her the way she was.

Just as Elsa extended the paper in her direction, Bulda came up behind her.

"Hey Elsa," she said, "Is Anna doing alright?"

"I…uh…she's…as fine as she can be," she stuttered out.

Concern glossed the teacher's eyes, "Elsa, did something happen?"

With Rapunzel, Bulda, and even Eleanor's eyes focused in her direction, Elsa couldn't think straight.

"Here," she said, thrusting the paper at the teacher before shying away, hugging her arms around her stomach.

The silence that crawled from where they were standing to the corners of the room was frightening. Elsa didn't even need to look at Rapunzel to see that she would know exactly what was going on from the few words on the pink form.

The teacher looked up, her voice soft with remorse, "Oh…oh Elsa…I am so sorry."

After a pause, Elsa spoke.

"It's…it's fine. I mean, I'm fine. It's Anna I'm worried about right now."

Rapunzel turned, sad eyes on the sheet as she walked it into her office.

Bulda closed the gap between her and Elsa, whispering so no one else could hear, "So the social worker is going the distance here, isn't she?"

Elsa nodded, sighing deeply, "A police officer was called, my father's presumably going to jail…."

"Jail," Bulda said, stressing that word as much as she could, "Good, he deserves it for putting his hands on that girl."

"Excuse me," Eleanor said, approaching the pair, "I couldn't help but overhear…"

Bulda threw her hands on her hips, "Eleanor, don't you have anything better to do than eavesdrop?"

"Bulda," Elsa said, giving the woman a look, "Yes Eleanor?"

"It's none of her business," Bulda said, "Besides, you shouldn't tell Scottish Miss here anything you don't want spread all over the PTA."

If Eleanor was offended, she didn't let it show.

"Did I hear you say that your father is going to jail?"

"Yes," Elsa said, "What of it?"

The woman paused, "Well…I just…I'm sorry to hear that it came to that, is all."

Elsa smiled at her as Bulda rolled her eyes.

"That's a good thing," the woman continued, "For Anna, for you, and for your father. He sounds terrible, and sounds like he needs serious help…"

"Help?" a voice spat from the opposite end of the room.

The three turned to see Rapunzel walking over to them, her face crossed in disgust.

"Did I just hear you say that the man needs 'help?'"

Eleanor blinked, stammering over her words, "I just mean…someone has to be seriously demented to want to hurt their own child. People like that do need help, so they don't repeat the same actions in the future. They just need to tools to change…."

"Change?!" Rapunzel shouted, her eyes wide with fury, "Oh, don't hand me any of that. People like that _never _change. And I mean never."

Elsa was surprised at the teacher's outburst, but was even more surprised when Eleanor kept talking.

"You don't know that as a fact," she said, "Many factors can contribute to things like this happening. Alcohol, poverty, anger, mental illness…they can change if people let them."

"Oh no," Rapunzel said, "No. People like that do not need excuses made for them. Because excuses like that are the most enabling thing on this Earth."

Her voice was literally trembling with rage, "They do not need help. They need to be locked away. Locked away somewhere they can't get out. Or at the very least, be kept far away from the people they hurt. Otherwise, the cycle never ends, and they keep coming back, and keep harassing you, until…."

She stopped midsentence, her eyes filling with tears. She took a deep breath and a step back, trying to collect herself.

"Excuse me," she said, nearly tripping on her way out the door.

Eleanor stood there in shock, while Bulda sent a menacing glare in the woman's direction.

"Now you've done it," she said, "You need to learn to keep that big mouth of yours shut."

As Eleanor put her hands on her hips, Elsa felt the heat arising and did not want to be around to watch it.

"I should go," she said, turning on her heel and rushing into the hallway.

She was in such a daze, she didn't realize when she almost knocked over Kristoff, who was walking into the building just as she was walking out.

"Sorry," she said, balancing herself against the wall, "I didn't even see you there."

"It's okay," the boy said, looking behind her legs, "Is Anna here? She's missing all the fun."

Elsa sighed, shaking her head.

"No…she's…she's dealing with something today."

A flash of understanding crossed the young boy's eyes as they lowered to the ground, "I know, my mom told me, kind of."

Neither of them said anything until Kristoff reached up to her.

"Can you give Anna this?" he said, a small and cheap plush dog in his hands, "I won it for Anna today. It looks like Sven. I think she'll like it."

Elsa took the toy from him, wrapping her hands around it.

"Yes, I'll give it to her."

"And tell her I'm sorry," he said, "That her dad did that. I know how bad that stinks…and…" A shadow crossed over the boy's eyes as he stopped himself from speaking further, "I'm sorry."

Elsa smiled at him, "I will, I promise."

He smiled and thanked her, running behind her and into the bathroom.

Elsa tucked the dog in her bag, walking out the door.

It baffled her, really, that a six year old had a better grasp on this than a roomful of adults.


	16. Let The Storm Rage On

**AN: Updates are going to be irregular the next week or so. Everything for school is due at the same time, registration, I gotta find a roommate for next year…yeah if I only update once or twice a week for a couple weeks, I apologize in advance. Hoping this longer chapter makes up for it.**

She hadn't heard from either of her parents since the day her father was (allegedly) arrested. He could've still been in jail for all she knew. It didn't matter so much, just as long as he was away from Anna, and social services was making sure that happened.

In the weeks since, things had come to a standstill for both girls. Neither of them had much enthusiasm for anything, going through the motions of their day as they were expected too. Even Anna seemed to have lose interest in everything. Literally, everything. She didn't even seem to want to read or play with Kristoff anymore. It broke Elsa's heart, because she knew that she should do something, but was at a loss for exactly what that was.

Even Elsa's schoolwork was starting to suffer. She didn't even bother thinking about that; she barely went to class, she knew her GPA had slipped, and she likely wouldn't be returning the next semester.

She, in turn, put all her focus into her job, seeing as in a few months, it would be the only thing she had left.

It was a Saturday afternoon, and the library was unusually empty.

She sighed, leaning over the circulation desk, wanting to do something to take her mind off of how depressed she was.

"Isn't this place usually busier?" she asked to no one in particular.

Hans, who was unloading returns from a basket, looked in her direction.

"It's spring break, Elsa. I'm pretty sure anyone with any sense about them is at the beach, or, you know, having a life," he said.

"That must be nice," she said, propping her head on her wrist.

With a grunt, he hoisted a box from the ground to the counter before walking over to her, sitting down and propping his feet up on the counter.

"Speaking of which, why don't you and Anna get out of town for a couple days," he said, patting her on the shoulder, "Get some sun, have a little break, do something fun. You could both use it."

She pushed his feet off the counter, grabbing a scrap piece of paper and a pencil.

"As great of an idea as that sounds," she said, tapping the desk with the eraser, "I have to work. And besides, those kinds of things cost money, which is in such short supply."

She turned away from him, bent over the paper in front of her. She knew his heart was in the right place, but sometimes he forgot that money wasn't a disposable resource for Elsa like it was for him and his family.

Her fingers dragged the pencil across the page, working in frantic lines and curves. Elsa had taken to sketching when she was a little girl as it gave her a release from her anxiety when things got too stressful.

She'd surprised herself a couple weeks back when she dug her sketch pad out of her old backpack. Anna had gone to bed crying that night, which was unusual for her. The power company wanted their money tomorrow, and she'd found out that she was failing three of her classes and in danger of losing her scholarship. She wanted to rip her skin off and pluck her hair out by the end of the night. She was screaming and crying into her pillow, limbs flailing and voice hoarse.

She barely remembered what happened next. She dragged herself out of bed and went rummaging through her closet until she found the blue backpack. The one she'd had since she was 10. The one she put everything she owned in when her father threw her out of the house. It was still there; the pages empty and barely jaundiced. She got a pencil from her purse and sat there on the floor, drawing for hours. She wasn't aware of what she was doing until the sun started to penetrate her curtains and Anna knocked on the door, asking for breakfast. She looked down at the page and was amazed with herself; an elaborate drawing of her and Anna building Olaf stared back at her. It wasn't bad, considering how rusty she was. But she walked away from that feeling refreshed and relieved; funny, considering she hadn't slept at all.

Since then, whenever she got too stressed, she grabbed the nearest thing in sight and drew until she felt that catharsis she did that first night. Sure, it was just a temporary fix, and the fact that she'd turned back to a childhood habit meant that she was regressing into her old mindset, she would take what she could get at this point. Even if it was small.

Her forehead brushed the wood of the desk as she focused in on what she was doing. She wasn't quite sure where the sketch would go, but she wanted the detailing to be flawless.

"Mr. Westerguard, I don't pay you to sit around and daydream, I pay you to work."

Elsa looked up to see Gerda standing over the pair, eyes narrowed at Hans.

"Oh come on," he said, crossing his arms, "You don't pay Elsa to play Picasso either, but you're not yelling at her."

"Well I didn't ask her to unload all the returned books either. I asked you. Now get back to work."

He sighed, rolling his eyes and walking away.

"So," the woman said once he was out of earshot, "How are things going for you and Anna?"

Elsa leaned back, letting the pencil slip from her fingers.

"We're…getting by," she said, unable to find any other words to fit the situation.

"I'm sorry," Gerda said, "I mean, how are you and Anna doing, _really_?"

'_Am I really that transparent?'_

"They could be better," she offered, not wanting to admit that it was getting to be too much out loud, "But I can only do what I can do."

Gerda smiled at her warmly.

"I'm really sorry," she said, leaning on the counter, "At least your father's in jail, right? The judge isn't going easy on him either."

Elsa sat straight up, eyeing the woman precariously.

"How do you know that?"

Gerda shook her head, "Don't you read the paper? This is a small town. Its considered news if someone steals a chicken from Walmart. A drug using child abuser is a field day to those reporters. Especially when he puts up a fight when the police try to arrest him."

Elsa groaned, throwing her head onto the table in front of her.

'_Why? What did I do that was so unchristian?'_

Just as Elsa was about to ask more, Gerda knocked on the desk, starting to walk away.

"Mrs. Anderson, if you would be so kind as to wait until later to smash your head against hard objects; there's two women here who would love to go about their day."

Elsa sat up straight, pulling her bangs out of her eyes.

"Sorry," she said, not looking at either of them, "Just give me a minute."

"Well, now I know where Anna gets her work ethic from."

Elsa's jumped up, meeting the amused faces of Rapunzel and Josephine. She forced a smile, grabbing a stack of check out cards.

"Very funny," she said, "Although I'm certain Anna wouldn't smash her head against a desk."

Rapunzel giggled, shifting the stack of books in her hands, "Point taken."

Elsa reached for the books, muttering a weak greeting to Josephine. A flash of concern washed over the woman's face as she looked at the girl. Elsa wasn't surprised; she was constantly pale, shaken, and the bags under her eyes had become a permanent fixture on her face.

"How's everything going?" the woman asked, "I mean, I know we can't talk about the specifics outside of the office, but, I mean, in general."

Elsa shrugged, stamping the inside covers of the books.

"We're doing alright. Anna's at a friend's house. I work long shifts on the weekends."

"But it's spring break," Rapunzel said, leaning over the counter, "Aren't you and Anna doing anything fun?"

Elsa shook her head, forcing a smile. She was going to mention not having the money, but remembered that her social worker – albeit, off the clock – was standing two feet away from her.

"I have to catch up with schoolwork," she said, "But I'm sure Anna's doing something with Kristoff."

That was a lie, and she knew Rapunzel knew that. Kristoff and Bulda were going out of town on Monday to see family members. Rapunzel looked from Elsa to her mother, realizing she'd probably said it for the woman's benefit.

"Well," she said, looking at Elsa sadly, "Don't let yourself get too bogged down. School sucks, I know."

Elsa finished checking out the books and handed them to Rapunzel, their fingers brushing. Elsa pulled back, running her hand through her hair nervously.

"So," she said, "What are you two doing?"

"Well, I have to work on Monday," Josephine said, "But after that we're going out of town as well for a few days."

"We're going to Disney," Rapunzel chimed in, "It's kind of a yearly thing we do."

"Oh, that's wonderful," Elsa said, realizing how much those words stung. Anna had been on a Disney kick lately, and a lot of her classmates were planning vacations from what she'd said. Elsa's stomach ripped in two whenever it came up, because Anna knew better than to ask.

Josephine's phone started to ring, and she dug around her purse, grumbling to herself. She looked at the caller ID, cursing under her breath.

"Damn weasel," she said, turning to the girls, "I'm going to take this in the car."

She reached out to Elsa, patting her hand, "Nice seeing you again."

"Likewise," she said as the woman power walked out the door.

"I'm sorry you and Anna aren't doing anything this week," Rapunzel said.

Elsa picked up her pencil and retrieved her sketch.

"Don't worry about it," Elsa said, "I mean, it's not a big deal."

The words even tasted phony in her mouth.

"Everyone needs a break though, right?"

"I guess."

Rapunzel smiled at her.

Elsa, not knowing what else to say, said the first thing that came to mind.

"I realize I never apologized for this," she started, "But I'm sorry I ran out of the classroom that day."

A look of confusion crossed Rapunzel's face.

"When Eleanor said all that stuff and you were upset…"

"Oh," she said, hugging the books to her chest, "Just…don't even worry about it."

"No, I mean it," Elsa said, standing up, circling the desk so that she was standing beside the woman, "I was caught up in myself and what was happening…I could tell you were hurt, I should've checked on you. And I haven't really said anything to you since, and I just—."

"Hey, hey, hey," Rapunzel said, setting the books down and placing her hands on Elsa's shoulders, "Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have let her get to me like that."

"Well," Elsa said, aware of Rapunzel's skin touching hers, "I'm sorry that it did."

The two stood like that for a moment, connected physically and through a smile. But the scream of a child, followed by Gerda's aggressive voice pulled them back into reality.

"I should really be going," Rapunzel said, pulling away and gathering her books, "My mom hates when I leave her waiting for too long."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Elsa said.

Rapunzel's eyes flew the Elsa's hands.

"What's that?"

She looked down, realizing that she still held her sketch and pencil in them.

"Oh," she said, setting them on the counter, "Just, um, something I was doing. There's not many people around and my mind was a little cluttered and…"

She trailed off as the woman took the paper in her hand, eyes widening at the sight.

"Elsa," she said, "This is amazing."

The girl wrapped her arms around herself, her face growing hot.

"Really?"

"Yes," Rapunzel said, her enthusiasm rich with sincerity, "I mean, I'm not just saying that because you did it and all, but it's really, really good."

"Thank you," Elsa said as Rapunzel handed it back to her.

"You said you were in school. Please tell me you're an art major."

Elsa chuckled, "No, I'm not."

"Well, you should consider it. You're really good."

She didn't have the heart to tell her that she wouldn't be in school much longer.

A shrill horn came from outside, and the two turned to see Josephine double parked, leaning out the window, urging her daughter to hurry up.

"I should go," she said, talking to Elsa as she walked away, "But I'm serious. That is worth pursuing."

Once Rapunzel was gone, she examined the sketch more closely. It was rough, for sure, and needed a lot of cleaning up. But she had the detailing on the hair just right, and she was impressed with the shadowing around the gown and the sun.

She tucked the paper into her purse when she returned to the desk, wondering if Anna would mind if she borrowed her colored pencils.

She had to see what it looked like complete.


	17. A Sister More Like Me

**AN: Had a little window of time tonight so I wrote this. Hope you all enjoy!**

The visitation had come to an indefinite standstill. After their break, a visit with Josephine brought to light just how dire the situation had been between Anna and her father.

As predicted, their mother cracked under the threat of jail time, telling the police just how violent the man could get under the influence of anger and alcohol. It wasn't intentional, _of course_, but Anna sometimes would get caught in the line of fire. Shoved or pushed out of the way. Grabbed and thrown left and right. One time he even pushed her down a flight of stairs, _but of course it was an accident_.

The woman would try to recant her statement later, but the threat of perjury charges silenced her fairly quickly.

Her father was still in jail on assault, battery, and child abuse charges among other things, and the judge immediately dismissed the idea of bail. She didn't know when the trial was, but she figured it would be soon.

Elsa sat there in a daze as Josephine recounted every gruesome detail as relayed to her by the police department. She didn't know it was possible for her to hate her father even more, but after that, it was evident that she did.

'_It's not fair,' _Elsa thought, not even bothering to hide her tears on the bus ride to school, _'She's so young. She did nothing to deserve that.' _

The bus came to a halt outside of a gray stone building just past the Family Services office. The country jail; where her father would be sitting.

What happened next was so out of character for her, she realized that night that she had probably left her sense behind on that bus seat. She got off, not stopping to grab her transfer pass, her bag swinging wildly at her side.

Charging through the glass doors, she approached the desk where a man in uniform was sitting.

"Can I help you ma'am?" he asked.

"Yes. My father's here and I would like to see him."

Her voice was so authoritative and raging, she didn't recognize it as her own. The office, taking note of her demeanor, asked for her name, identification, and gave her clearance.

"Keep it brief," he said, opening a green door and ushering her down a hallway, "Last cell on the left. There's a guard nearby, but if you need any assistance, my name is Officer Shang."

"Thank you," Elsa said, stopping cold when she heard the door behind her shut.

She took meek steps down the corridor, doubting whether or not she should follow through with this. Up until a few minutes ago, her backbone and will had been a puddle in the center of her body.

Her mind flashed to Anna. Anna crying, scared, not knowing what was going on or why her father of all people would hurt her. Anna begging him to stop.

Anna. Anna being abused.

Elsa drew her bag over her shoulder and took in a deep breath that she wouldn't let out until well after she left. She marched up to the door, peering in through the bars.

He was sprawled out on the cot in his cell, arm thrown over his eyes as if he had the right to be exhausted. He didn't even sense his daughter's presence until she cleared her throat, calling herself to his attention.

"What in hell are you doing here?" he spat, springing up and slogging to the edge of the bars. Elsa jumped back on reflex, then realized that he couldn't do much more than glare at her.

Her hand wrapped around the strap of her purse, pulsing against the patent leather as a means of keeping her fear subdued.

"Save your anger for someone who will indulge it," she said, trying to keep her voice even, "Believe it or not, I didn't come here to fight with you."

He huffed, leaning his elbow over one of the bars.

"Then what? I know you didn't come to apologize for tearing this family up, although you should be."

Elsa stepped back, trying to keep her balance against the weight of the implications of her father's words.

"I should apologize? That's funny, considering what you did to Anna."

He sighed, crossing his arms, "Look, this was just blown out of proportion. Me and your mom got into it. Anna's an imaginative little kid. Fill in the dots yourself."

She stood her ground, "No, Anna did a pretty good job of that for me. And your wife, too, shockingly."

He shook his head, "You know how your mother gets."

"Yes, I do," Elsa said, "But even she will only lie for you for so long."

He rolled his eyes, as if this banter were amusing him; like they were talking about the Red Sox game and not his family. She couldn't believe this deceptive excuse of a person was the one responsible for giving her life.

"And besides," she continued, "I know how you get. I grew up with you, so nothing that's happened has come as any surprise, father."

"That was a long time ago—."

"What is surprising, though, is that you would readily hurt Anna, who did absolutely nothing to you."

"You have got to be kidding me," he said, fighting the urge to take his aggression out on anything in his cell, "She's five years old! She talks to the pictures we hang on the walls and makes up stories all the time! Are you really going to believe everything she says?"

Elsa paused, shocked at the audacity of this man.

"Of course I believe her," Elsa said, "I believe her, the social worker believes her, and most importantly, the police believe her. And thanks to places like this, especially given your track record, they listen to her. Unlike…"

She trailed off, the unsaid words filled with implications of her own childhood.

Her father said nothing, merely raising an eyebrow, leaning on the frame of his cot.

Elsa's animosity grew thicker with his silence.

"And that's beside the point," she said, her voice wavering, "It doesn't matter what you or mom say to me. I know you two. I know your willingness to put your needs first. I know you don't care if your children hurt or cry or go without. And I couldn't do anything when I was a kid because no one would listen to me. But I'm listening to Anna. And I'm hearing what she's saying."

She narrowed her eyes in his direction, taking a powerful step towards the bars.

"There is nothing you can say that will stop me. And there is nothing you can do to hinder Anna's separation. From both of you. She's a little girl who's been hurt too much for someone her age. She's suffered so much at your hands, and you don't even show a bit of remorse for it."

Her voice was raising, and other cellmates were looking in their direction.

"Left to your own devices, the same thing would keep happening. She doesn't deserve that. And if you can't look into her eyes and see that hurt and realize what you've done wrong, then you have no business in her life whatsoever."

Her words hung in the air, her father staring not into, but through her eyes.

"Elsa, while that little monologue was, touching, to say the least," he said, "Are we talking about Anna, or are we talking about you?"

She took a step back, her spine catching in her throat.

"No," she said, barely audible.

"Elsa, I'm sure your heart is in the right place, but if you can't separate your biases from what's going on here, you really shouldn't be taking care of her."

He broke his gaze, ambling back to his cot.

"What was it you wanted to see me for again?"

Her eyes fell to the ground, her lungs suddenly too big for her chest. She didn't remember why she came here in the first place, but she knew she needed to leave, now.

Her footsteps were quick in the opposite direction, her father calling out to her.

"Nice to see you, Elsa."

The sound of her name on his tongue made her stomach implode.

With her last bit of spite, she tossed over her shoulder, "By the way, she's six, not five."

xXx

'_What was I thinking? I wasn't thinking, that's what.'_

Long after picking Anna up from school and sleep walking through dinner and bedtime, Elsa was propped against the couch, her legs huddled up to her stomach.

The way her father looked right through her, the meaningless weight to his words, his blatant lies…all of it weighed down on Elsa more than she'd ever care to admit.

He hadn't said or done very much, in all honesty. But he knew how to get under her skin, prod her insecurities with a knife, not stopping until their blood spilled into her own veins.

It made her sick, what disgusting man he was.

She sighed, gathering herself off the floor and cleaning up the living room, deciding it was in her best interest to get to bed as soon as possible.

On her way to her own room, she stopped outside Anna's door.

The girl was probably asleep and off in dream land, as Elsa had put her to bed hours ago. Still, she didn't let this stop her from inching the door open on the off chance she was still awake.

She wasn't Elsa realized as the light from the hall spilled onto the carpet. Anna was laying above her sheets, curtains slightly open and a book on her stomach. Elsa shook her head; it was becoming a habit for Anna to sneak a book or two after she'd been told to go to sleep.

The older girl picked the book up and closed the curtains, sitting on the edge of the bed. Pulling the blanket back over Anna's body, Elsa looked down sadly at the girl's sleeping face.

She couldn't contain the current of pure pain she felt for her sister. Over what she'd seen, what happened to her, and the uncertainty that lingered over what was to come. Even in slumber, her eyebrows were knit in worry and her mouth twisted into a downward stance.

Elsa knew this, all from one look.

Because she remembered what it was like to be in that position.

To be that scared.

To feel alone.

The difference being, Elsa wasn't going to let Anna _feel _alone.

She wouldn't let it get that far.

Sure, she may not be the perfect parental figure. As everyone liked to point out, she wasn't in the best position to be caring for a child. But she had more insight into the girl than anyone else could have.

They'd suffered at the hands of the same two monsters – but the after effects of their suffering, Elsa had been through. She wasn't going to let that happen to Anna. Not now, not ever.

A few tears slipped from the older girl's eyes as she slid into bed beside her sister, pulling the girl into a hug.

She fell asleep like that, mumbling silent prayers and apologies into the girl's pillow, promising to keep her safe and sound.

No way would Elsa let Anna become like her.


	18. Elsa Lies

_Just go._

_Walk in._

_Why isn't she walking?_

_Does she know how to walk? _

The boy settled in one of the chairs in the waiting room looked almost exactly like Kristoff, and his eyes were on her as she stood in front of the wooden door of the visitation room. Maybe that's why she thought of the boy's first words to her sister. That, and the look on his face indicated that may have been what he was thinking.

Josephine was in that room, and had been left waiting well past their meeting time. But her mother was there too.

Elsa had not seen or heard from her mother since Anna's first and last visitation, and had absolutely no idea what to expect. She didn't doubt the woman would be angry, furious even. And she was more than certain that this encounter would be anything but pleasant. She'd spent the night mentally preparing herself for anything that could happen, except she didn't count on freezing with her fingers one inch from the doorknob.

She could still run if she wanted to. Ten steps out the door, a few feet to the elevator, and a quick jog to the bus stop and she would be gone.

She sighed, still surprised that months into this dispute, her first instinct was to run away. The "fight or flight" mindset was one that she developed early on in her own childhood, and to this day, had trouble with cowering away from her problems. She thought she was getting better about it, considering that she had to grow a backbone fast because of Anna.

Her eyes darted to the glass panel above the doorknob. Her mother was chewing on her fingernails, body tense, free hand clenched, and eyes narrowed in a cross manner; an anger radiated off the woman that she hadn't bothered to feel in years, not since Elsa was a little girl.

_Just go._

_Go to your father._

_Why aren't you helping him?_

_Don't you know how to do anything?_

Her spine became stark and frozen in place, suddenly realizing why those words had been so evident in her mind when she came in.

Her lungs deflated against her chest, and her skin became too tight for her body. She clasped her palm to her throat, the room a kaleidoscope of heat; of orange and purple lights. Josephine caught her eye through the window, motioning for her to come inside. When her mother's violet eyes shoved into hers, the last of her resolve seeped out of her in one ragged breath. She turned around and sprinted out the door, taking the stairs and running clear across the parking lot.

By the time she stopped, she had no idea where she was. She was surrounded by concrete on all sides, and the sky above her was turning gray and humid. She kept walking until she found a bus stop, getting on the first bus that arrived and shoving her body into the seat farthest from the front.

xXx

She don't know how long she sat in the back of the bus while it went around their small town in circles. The driver paid her no mind, however, only casting the occasional glance in her direction. The rain had come and gone at least four times, so she figured it had to have been at least a few hours.

Missing that meeting was the worst thing she could've done she realized as soon as her brain had settled. They were going to discuss termination of parental rights, seeing as her father was in jail, and Elsa had been doing such a good job of staying on top of everything.

'_Right,' _Elsa thought, _'I can't even go to one meeting without chickening out.'_

She didn't want to admit it, but faith in her ability to raise Anna had been dwindling as time went on. Here they were at the end of April, and she still had not really connected with the girl. She still made her sandwiches wrong every single day. And, to top it off, her missed days at work and school were testing the last of everyone's patience. Anna had meetings and doctors' appointments, and Gerda and her professors were only willing to excuse so much.

It was too much for one person, even Elsa could realize that. Something would have to give eventually. She just hoped that thing wasn't Anna.

"Excuse me ma'am?"

Elsa looked up to see the bus driver staring at her through the overhead mirror. He had to have been addressing her, as no one else was on the bus.

"Are you alright back there? You've been sitting there for six hours. So I figure, something's up or you have nothing else to do."

Elsa checked her phone. It was after three.

"Oh god," she said, throwing it back into her bag and frantically gathering her things together, "Oh, God, I'm so late."

"Whoa," the man said, his eyes going between the mirror and the road, "The bus is still moving. I mean, I can let you off now, but the next stop is only five minutes away."

Elsa had been so out of it, she didn't realize the vehicle was in motion until she tumbled forward. She grabbed onto the nearest pole and settled into the adjacent seat.

"How close are we to Arendelle Elementary?"

"It's actually right by our next stop. About a two minute walk."

"Oh. Okay," she said, settling against the seat she was in.

The man waited a few moments before speaking again.

"Seriously, is everything alright?"

Elsa stared out the window, watching the last of the rain fall against the glass.

"Yeah," Elsa said, focusing her attention on the man speaking to her. He was older, but only slightly gray, with a full bear, mustache, and stark build.

He smiled at her through the mirror, "I see you on here all the time. And know enough to know that you're lying through your teeth."

The girl shrugged, "I've seen better days."

"Haven't we all," he said, the bus lurching to a halt.

Elsa stood up, making her way to the door, stopping to take the transfer pass she'd need to get home.

As the door opened, the man grabbed her hand, holding her back. Elsa turned to face him as he leaned over the seat, returning with a purple umbrella in his hand.

"It's still raining," he said as he handed it to her, "Don't want to get wet, now do you?"

Elsa could've cared less about the rain or what it did to her hair or body, but she was touched by the man's kindness. She thanked him as she took it, hurrying down the steps and opening the umbrella as she stepped onto the sidewalk. She hustled down the street to the school, not wanting to be late to pick her sister up.

xXx

The closer she got to Anna's classroom, the thicker the panic set into her stomach. The girl had been having a rough week; prone to tantrums and crying spells at the drop of a hat. Elsa was in no capacity to deal with it now, especially considering the episode she'd just had.

The umbrella hung from her fingertips, leaving a trail of water behind her as she walked. Normally, she'd be more cautious since children and their parents could be prone to falling, but she couldn't be bothered.

Her head was still in a fog. She was both scared and embarrassed at her behavior over the course of the day. She hadn't run from her mother like that since she was seven. And after her father locked her in her room for a couple days, she never tried it again.

That was the worst part; the flood of memories of her own childhood that had been coming back to her since she visited her father weeks ago. She didn't realize how _abusive _they had actually been to her. That, or she'd been trivializing it all this time. Either way, these feelings were unwelcome, yet that didn't stop them from barraging her mind at every given opportunity.

It was infuriating and frightening all at the same time.

She didn't want to remember what happened. She didn't want to feel any way about it. She'd spent so many years downplaying the effect they had on her, even more so now considering what Anna herself was going through. It didn't feel right or fair, considering that her sister had been through worse.

She couldn't feel sorry for herself, she had to clear her mind.

However, she was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she nearly walked right by Anna's classroom. She would've done so had Rapunzel not grabbed her arm to pull her back.

"Elsa, are you alright?" she said as soon as the girl acknowledged her presence.

"What? Oh, I…yeah I'm okay. Just a rough morning is all."

The two stood in silence until Rapunzel spoke up.

"Why don't you come in?" She said, taking Elsa's hand, "Most of the kids were dismissed an hour ago, but you weren't here yet for Anna or Kristoff. I sent them to run me an errand, since I figured you'd got stuck or something."

"Kristoff….?" Elsa managed before remembering that it was her turn to watch over the pair while Bulda worked late. And that it was Wednesday, so they got out an hour early.

"God," Elsa said, slamming her purse down on a table, "I am so stupid. I completely forgot."

"Hey, it's okay," Rapunzel said, "Things happen. I understand."

Elsa leaned against the table, pressing her palms into the side as she tried to calm the swelling in her body. She must have blanked out for a moment, because when she regained her senses, she was sitting in Rapunzel's chair in her office, the blonde wiping cold tears from her cheeks with a tissue. The girl wrapped her arms around her stomach, meeting Rapunzel's concerned eyes. They're beautiful Elsa thought as her cheeks began to flush.

"….do you wanna tell me what happened?"

Rapunzel was looking at her, gently stroking her shoulder, but remaining patient, waiting for Elsa to speak voluntarily. Shockingly, the girl had no hesitations speaking to her.

"I was supposed to meet with my mother today," Elsa said, "Discussing the termination of her and my father's parental rights to Anna after the trial."

"What do you mean 'supposed to'?"

Elsa sighed, "I'm not proud of it, but I ran out before I even walked in the room."

Rapunzel didn't react, which surprised Elsa, as she expected her to be upset. When she could tell she wasn't, she continued.

"I saw my mother through the glass, she looked so angry…I don't know what happened. I was scared. I haven't seen my mother angry in years. I ran out of the office and sat on the bus staring vacantly into space until the bus driver made sure I was alright."

Rapunzel's eyes fell to the umbrella that was still wrapped around Elsa's wrist. She took if by the string, a smile crossing her face as she toyed with the sun shaped clasp hanging from the fabric.

"Ah, my father, always the concerned citizen."

Elsa couldn't help but smile as well. She knew that his demeanor seamed familiar.

"I didn't know you took his bus," Rapunzel said, setting it on the ground, "Then again, he gets new routes all the time. I should pay more attention."

Elsa's smile weakened to a grin as she clenched her hands around the edges of her shirt.

"But, anyways, about your mother," Rapunzel said, "Is there any reason you might have reacted like that? I mean, I know you said that they were awful to you, but you never really elaborated on that."

Elsa shrugged, "I don't really like talking about it. I never really have. I was always told that nothing that happened was really that bad, so I try not to think anything of it."

Rapunzel sat back against her chair, an understanding look in her eyes.

"Oh, yes, that whole 'there's starving children all over the world' attitude. I know it very well."

Her smile faltered as she spoke again.

"People watch too much TV, if you ask me. I think that's what's to blame for this hyper dramatic idea of what child abuse is. People forget, it's not always punches and kicks and physical violence."

Rapunzel hunched over, biting her lip and clasping her hands together.

"I mean, the woman who gave birth to me never laid a hand on me. Quite the opposite. For the most part, she treated me very well."

She looked up at Elsa before continuing, "Josephine isn't biologically my mother. She's my aunt; she adopted me when I was younger."

Elsa sat up straighter, nodding her head as if this were news to her. She forgot momentarily that it was supposed to be. Clearly, Rapunzel didn't know her mother had told her.

"But anyways, the woman who raised me for the first seven years of my life wasn't outright mean to me. I think that's why no one knew what was going on."

A dark shadow crossed Rapunzel's eyes, and her voice grew more pained as she spoke.

"She bought me lots of nice things; nice clothes, new paints whenever I wanted them. She'd even brush my hair every night before she put me to bed. But she was sick…mentally ill. She was always convinced someone would hurt me or take me away from her. So…she would keep me locked in the basement. She said it was for the best, that way no one could do anything to me. At the time, my aunt and uncle lived a few towns over, so they had no idea what was going on, ya know? I think I left that basement once in my entire life."

Rapunzel took a deep breath that shook against her ribcage as she exhaled.

"She'd tell me horror stories. About men hurting me or killing me. In really graphic detail. I remember her stories so vividly, only because I'd have nightmares about them every night. I didn't know that it was wrong though. I thought it was normal. I didn't know any better."

Her words were now barely a whisper, but Elsa leaned in so she could hear.

"One day, she decided to stop taking her medicine. At least, I think that's what happened. Because she locked herself in the basement with me, cutting herself and crying because she thought she was dying. After a few days, I realized we didn't have much food or water with us, and she refused to go get me any. When she was asleep, I crawled up the stairs. My aunt, who hadn't heard from my mother in a while, was standing there in the living room. She'd gotten in with the spare key she had. And it didn't take long for her to figure out what was going on, and…well…I think you can figure out the rest."

Elsa sat still, stunned at just how horrific Rapunzel's childhood had been. The blonde wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, pushing her hair out of her face.

"But, even with all that, there were so many people that didn't take me seriously," she said, "They didn't know that abuse isn't just limited to violence. There are so many other ways you can be abusive to someone..."

She sniffled, taking Elsa's hand as she began to break down.

"I'm sorry," she said between sobs, "I can't…I can't…."

What Elsa did next shocked both of them, as she moved forward and took Rapunzel into her arms, rubbing her back in small circles.

"It's okay," Elsa said, "You don't have to talk about it anymore if you don't want to."

Once Rapunzel had calmed down, she pulled away from Elsa, taking a tissue and blowing her nose into it.

"It's hard to talk about," she said, "But my point is, there's no need to hide your feelings over something. You can own what happened to you and acknowledge it for what it is."

She sat up straighter, scooting her chair closer to Elsa's.

"So now that I've cried all over your shoulder," she said, "You can talk to me if you want to. I'm not going to judge you over what upset or hurt you."

Elsa weighed in her head whether or not she should tell Rapunzel about her past. Especially given the story she'd just been told, it only furthered her belief that her own childhood wasn't that terrible. But Rapunzel looked at her so sweetly. Like she really did care and wouldn't make her feel bad. She took a breath, hugging her stomach tighter as she began to speak.

"I know I've said that they were negligent alcoholics and that things were tough, but it hasn't hit me until recently how bad it really was. At least, to me."

She could feel herself shaking as the memories shook her entire body.

"My mother was quiet and spineless in many ways. She could never stand up to my father when he would start fighting with her. But once he was gone, she had no problems fighting with me. Telling me how useless I was, how ungrateful I was being, that if I really cared about her, I would've stepped in and broke it up, calmed him down, or comforted her….mind you, things like that had been happening since I was about three or four. My father was scary angry, but my mother even more so. Because it was so rare, so months of anger were usually directed at me."

She sat on her palms to keep them from trembling.

"Both of them would get mad if I ever was sad or upset. One time my mother left me alone in a Walmart for six hours because I had cried in the car. That wasn't even the worst of it. Whenever I'd mess up, my father would lock me in a closet until I 'learned to behave.'"

Elsa could see Rapunzel's breathing get shallow. Hearing it aloud, she realized just how awful it really was.

"I can't remember a single time either of them hit me in my life, because they never did. But I remember being sent to school without lunch because I did something wrong. Or how it was my fault to pick up whatever my father broke and put my mother to bed after their fights. Or the time my father wouldn't pay the bills because my mother drank most of his earnings again. He took off, and we were technically homeless for two years. Homeless shelters were the worst, those people will hit you with absolutely no qualms."

She took a calming breath, praying to whatever higher being that existed that she wouldn't choke up.

"Yet, somehow, it was always my fault. We ran out of money? My fault. They fought? My fault. I was upset? That was my fault for daring to have feelings. I knew that they resented having me; that was no secret."

She felt tears pricking her eyes, and she didn't fight it. The words were out of her mouth, and for once, she allowed herself to feel all of those feelings that had been pent up for years.

"For eighteen years I put up with it, because I believed it was my fault. Even when I tried to tell someone – teachers, other relatives, the people at the shelters – no one believed me. They'd check me for bruises then tell me to stop making up stories. When I moved out, I never thought I'd have to deal with their issues ever again, what with my father kicking me out and all…"

Elsa trailed off, not wanting to get into that story right now.

"….Until Anna?"

Elsa looked at Rapunzel, who was looking back with a kindness and understanding unfamiliar to her.

"Yeah, until Anna…"

The thought of her sister was enough to make her crack. She didn't stop the tears from falling down her cheeks, and she didn't stop Rapunzel from pulling her into an embrace.

"I've never told anyone that before," Elsa said, realizing how comfortable Rapunzel's shoulder was.

"I'm glad you told me," she said, pulling away, "Elsa, I'm sorry that happened to you."

"Don't, don't be. I can't worry about it anymore. Because things like this," she said gesturing to her eyes, "Happen if I do."

"But I bet you feel better now."

Elsa stared at the woman.

"I mean, don't you feel a lot better now that you've talked about it?"

Elsa blinked twice, realizing Rapunzel was right. She didn't feel the need to huddle away as she always did, and the air she breathed seemed lighter than normal.

"Yes," she said, "I do, actually."

Rapunzel opened her mouth to speak when Anna and Kristoff ran into the classroom. Anna approached the door as Kristoff went to gather his things.

"The guy said that the stuff wasn't in the art room," Anna said, "And the box was too big for us to carry."

"Oh, that's fine," the teacher said, turning to the girl, "Why don't you go and get ready to go home."

The girl eyed her sister.

"Why are you so late?"

"Because," Rapunzel said, "She had a problem with her bus. Now run along, alright?"

Anna took off in the other direction as Rapunzel turned to face Elsa.

"I'm glad you feel better," she said, "And, if it helps, I'm here if you need anything."

"Thanks," Elsa said.

The older girl knew she should have reciprocated the offer, but she nearly lost her balance as Rapunzel squeezed her hand.


	19. Anna's Choice

**AN: I'm going to try my best to get the plot rolling along more. I have a plan, so you'll just have to trust me. And again, sorry if updates are irregular. I've been sick lately. Hope this double update makes up for it. **

Josephine stared at Elsa, arms crossed and eyes narrowed as the girl walked into the room.

"Look, I'm sorry that I didn't show up last time," Elsa said before the door was even shut, "I got freaked out and…" She trailed off, not wanting to make excuses for herself, "I'm sorry. I really am."

The woman's glare softened.

"It's fine," she said, "Besides, it's probably better I tell you this alone."

Elsa lowered her body into a chair as the woman dug out Anna's case file.

"The good news is, your father is in prison for the next few years. So that's not an issue."

Elsa paused, taking in what the woman just told her.

"Wait, I'm confused," Elsa said, "How could he have been convicted if the trial wasn't set for a few more weeks?"

"He plead guilty, the trial wasn't necessary."

Elsa smiled, but stopped as the woman's words hit her.

"How many years is a few…?"

"In this case, four years. It would have been one, but the drug and resisting arrest charges are what got him."

"You have to be kidding," Elsa breathed.

Josephine simpered, extending a comforting hand to her shoulder, "I know. Child abuse cases, sadly, don't carry heavy sentences. At least, not in this state. Especially since he plead, they probably let him off lightly."

Elsa didn't move, weighing the outcome of this in her mind.

"Don't worry about it so much," Josephine said when she realized the girl was uneasy, "Even after his release, he won't be allowed anywhere near her. It's on his record, he's a convicted child abuser."

"Alright," Elsa said, tensing at the question she had to ask, "So what's the bad news."

Josephine sighed, "The bad news is that neither of your parents' rights were terminated."

"B…but you said…."

"It was their first offense on book," she offered as means of an explanation, "And they express a willingness to change and cooperate. And while your father doesn't have grounds to ask for custody again, your mother does. And plans on it in the future."

Elsa could feel her hands quivering and her stomach lining turn to static.

"So, this is where we have decisions to make," Josephine said, "The weasel is convinced that the best thing for Anna would be to have her return to her mother."

"No!" Elsa said, jumping out of her seat, "No, that can't happen."

"I know," Josephine said, "And in all honesty, I wouldn't even worry about that. The bigger issue is, we need to determine the best long term solution for Anna."

Elsa sat back down, her palms slick against the arms of the chair, "What do you mean?"

The woman sat up straight in her seat, "Anna is very clearly not going to be going back to your parent's custody. And as I've mentioned to you in the past, you don't have any other family members ready or able to take her. Your arrangement with her was meant to be temporary, and now that we've determined the parent's home unfitting, it's time to move towards something permanent."

She folded her hands, looking at the girl solemnly, "We have three choices. The first is that we place Anna in a group home, but you've expressed before you didn't want that."

Elsa's mind flashed to the shelters she'd spent her childhood in, how rough and violent the kids could be there.

"Absolutely not," she said, "That's not happening."

The woman continued, "We could place her in a foster home, but I'm not sure that work so well either. Given how poorly Anna tends to adapt and socialize."

Elsa sank in her seat, realizing how true that was.

"And then, there's the third option."

She sighed before completing her thought, "Anna would be in your full custody. While we would be checking in, as you would be her permanent foster parent, there would be no more scheduled visits of any kind aside from our check ins, you would have no more court orders, nothing of the sort. Think of it as full custody with a few regulations."

Her mind was rushing as she weighed the pros and cons of keeping Anna, for real. Josephine was right, this would likely be a permanent thing. No more wondering when Anna would leave, because she never would. Likely, she'd be responsible for her for the next twelve years. She thought of the things she would lose; her freedom, probably her education, the time left in her twenties she'd planned on spending being a stupid college student.

Then she realized that yes, she would lose all of that, but none of those possibilities were as bad as the thought of losing Anna.

She couldn't believe how much the girl had grown on her in a few short months. Yes, they had their hard times, but the change in the girl was noticeable to those around them. She seemed happy for the most part. She was getting better at socializing. She was doing well in school. She had a chance at a future and _choices_, things that Elsa herself never had.

Anna now had choices, Elsa realized. She was so used to people making all of her decisions for her, keeping "her best interests" in mind. It was wrong, she realized, seeing as the person who knew what was best for Anna was Anna.

"I think…I think I want to ask Anna what she wants," Elsa said.

Josephine nodded, taking a few notes on her pad, "I think that's a great idea."

xXx

The bus ride home had been silent, as it usually was. Anna's nose was buried in a book – a chapter book, the older girl noticed. Elsa kept her eyes out the window across from her, trying to think of how this would go. She still had noticeable trouble communicating with her younger sister, and this big a discussion would require her full on dedication.

She wasn't going to kid herself. She knew that she'd end up stumbling over her words at one point or another. But she'd go to her default if need be; try to speak from the heart and hoping it fell into place.

When they got home, Anna settled on the couch, tossing the pillows to the ground and picking up where she left off in her book. Elsa went to the kitchen to make dinner, but ended up standing in front of the fridge for five minutes, a pot and pack of butter dangling from her hands. The thought of having such a hard conversation with her sister seemed better in Josephine's office, in the heat of the moment of having to make the decision herself.

She heard Anna close her book and sigh.

'_No,' _Elsa thought, _'This isn't the time to make it about you.'_

She set the pan and butter on the counter, taking a deep breath and walking into the living room.

"Anna?"

The girl looked up.

"We need to talk about something," Elsa said, sitting by Anna on the couch, giving her enough space as not to make her uncomfortable.

Anna stared at her expectantly, and grew visibly annoyed when Elsa didn't immediately start talking. The older girl sighed, swallowing the bile in her throat and forcing her mouth to form words.

"I met with Josephine today," she said, "Dad…he's in jail. And mom can't take you right now."

Her palms started to sweat, but Anna was paying attention.

"So…she said that we need to figure out what to do. You have a few options. She suggested a group home, but…just trust me, you do not want that. Or you can go into a foster home, if you want to."

"Like Kristoff did?"

"Yes," Elsa said, "Like Kristoff did."

She took a deep breath, scared she would lose her resolve. She surprised herself when she was able to speak a few seconds later.

"Or…you can stay here. With me."

The girl broke her eye contact, her eyes falling to the floor.

"I know that our situation here isn't ideal, and I don't know exactly how permanent it will be," Elsa said, looking at the wall across from her. Anna had hung drawings she did between the table and the window. For the first time, Elsa noticed that most of them were of the pair of sisters building snowmen or riding bikes.

"And Josephine asked me to decide for you this morning what to do. But I don't think that's right."

Elsa reached over, pressing her palm on top of the smaller girl's hand.

"I think I know what you'd want. But that's no substitute for a real answer. Therefore, I'm leaving the choice to you."

Anna looked back up to Elsa, a shocked look in her eyes.

"I would very much like for you to stay here, but not if it's not what you want. It's your decision, and I'll support it no matter what you want."

The two sat in silence for a while. Elsa allowed herself a glance at her sister, whose eyes were shining with the burden of conflict and indecision. The girl took a painful length of time to think, and the longer she waited, the more she convinced herself that Anna would choose to leave. Elsa wasn't sure how she would take that news, but would set aside her sadness over it and support the girl, like she'd said.

"Kristoff said his old foster parents were mean."

Elsa glanced at the girl as she spoke.

"Mrs. Bulda is really nice, but the family he stayed with before was mean to him. He said lotsa foster parents are like that."

Anna pulled her legs to her chest, chin settling on her kneecaps.

"Mama and papa were mean to me too. I don't wanna live with mean people again."

She looked up at Elsa.

"You're the only one who's never been mean to me. I know we fight and stuff, but you're not mean to me."

"Of course not," Elsa said, tearing up, "I love you Anna."

The girl smiled, "I love you too. I wanna stay here."

Elsa's voice was barely a whisper, "You mean that?"

The girl nodded, "Yeah. I love it here. And I love you too."

In an act so out of character, she surprised herself, Elsa threw her arms around her sister, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Elsa," the girl said, "I can't breathe."

"Oh, oh sorry," she said, loosening the grip on Anna.

"You mean it though?!" Anna asked, "I can stay here forever!"

Elsa smiled, nearly choking on the word "forever," but figured now was not the time to mince or butcher words, seeing as the girl was so excited.

"Yes," Elsa said, "You can."

The girl wrapped her arms around Elsa's neck, pulling her in for a too-tight hug.

"I love you Elsa!"

"I love you too Anna," the older girl said, shocked at how well this went.

Anna would be safe with her. And while she had a long ways to go to be an idea caregiver, the girl seemed to have some faith in her, at least, more than she had in herself. And that in itself was enough to keep her going.


	20. Mother Knows Best

**AN: Just something I want to say going into the next few chapters. I know Elsa's love life is not canon in any sense. And I'm not sure of that myself. I see Elsa as being bisexual, in all honesty, but my fictions will not always reflect this belief. This is not one of those times. I made this choice in the interest of the story, and I hope you will enjoy it. And for those of you who don't like the Rapelsa thing, I hope you know enough to trust that the plot won't be as linear as it seems like it will be. Just trust me : - ) Also, to those who've mentioned this, the time lapse is going to occur after the next chapter. We're gonna skip ahead about six months. And after the next chapter, shit's starting again. Think of this as act 1, and the next part as act 2, so to speak. Either way, part 2 will go a little faster. **

The paper work took almost a month to file, but Anna was finally released into Elsa's custody. The transition had been rockier than she thought it would be. There were few regulations, but they were stricter than Elsa ever could have imagined. Anna needed more clothes, more furniture, a set schedule; in short, everything that would make Elsa's apartment feel like the permanent home it was going to become.

She managed, somehow, to make every possible end meet when it came to Anna and the Department of Children and Families. However, she dropped the ball in nearly every other court. During those few weeks, she didn't even bother going to class. Her homework wasn't done and she was too behind to even think of trying to catch up. As far as work went, she didn't show up on time the entire first week, and took every subsequent day after that off. She was embarrassed, as she knew that she was taking advantage of Gerda's leniency, and knew that karma would make her pay the price for that later. Worst of all, she had barely spoken to Hans in weeks. His phone calls and texts often went ignored, and seeing as she wasn't at school or work, they didn't see each other.

For now, though, it was irrelevant. All that mattered was Anna.

The only thing she could seem to do consistently involved the girl. She'd even been spending all of her spare time volunteering in the classroom, helping Rapunzel with whatever needed helping. The woman's warmth and friendship were something that Elsa didn't realize she needed until she found herself empty without it. Their "attraction," or whatever you want to call it, was sometimes the thing that kept Elsa pushing through the day when everything seemed hopeless. They grew closer, even opting to spend time outside the classroom together. They talked on the phone long into the night even, and Elsa was surprised at how open she found herself becoming. It was nothing short of miraculous.

The issue of her love life was something that she'd put off since high school; she never had time for dating or anything of the like, and it's not like anyone was interested in her. She'd always known she had no interest in men; whether or not that had anything to do with her father, she wasn't quite sure. She didn't even know for sure if she wasn't straight…she didn't have time to explore her sexuality, and it was nothing she would have shared with her family if it were the case.

Elsa, in truth, had no idea what love was. But, if it was anything like the ardor Rapunzel had been offering her, she wouldn't mind getting acquainted with it.

xXx

Friday nights were usually the least hectic for either girl. Anna didn't have school the next morning, and Elsa had nothing else to do, especially in the absence of school work or Hans. The pair sat in the living room, coloring in a cheap sketch pad Elsa picked up for the girl and eating Chinese takeout.

"Wow!" Anna exclaimed, pointing to the paper in front of Elsa, "You're really good Elsie!"

"You really think so?" She asked.

"Yeah, I do."

The older girl looked down at the drawing, the one she'd started weeks ago in the library. She now worked on coloring it in. She had to admit, it looked really good. She was nervous that she wouldn't make Rapunzel's hair glow or eyes shine the way that they did in person. While it wasn't perfect, it certainly did her justice.

"You're not a bad little artist yourself," Elsa said, ruffling Anna's hair. The girl shrugged away, resuming her work on her drawing. It really was pretty good; the girl clearly had been practicing a lot. Elsa kicked herself for not realizing it sooner.

"I have to pee," Anna said, jumping up and running to the bathroom.

Just as Elsa reached for a green colored pencil, a callous knock came to the door. She checked her phone; it was after eight. She wasn't expecting Rapunzel for another hour or so, and she knew it couldn't be Bulda or Kristoff. She chose to ignore it, but it was persistent.

"Hold on," Elsa said, picking herself off the ground, "I'm coming."

She brushed her hair out of her face as she approached the door, opening it without checking through the peep hole to see who it was.

Before she could identify the knocker, a bloodless hand came into her line of vision and cracked across her cheek. The force of the smack was so strong, it caused her to slam against the door frame on impact.

"What the _fuck_ Elsa."

She cupped her cheek, her eyes blurred and unable to meet the face of her mother.

"What are you doing here?" Elsa asked, straightening her spine and closing the door so Anna wouldn't have to hear or witness the inevitable altercation, "You're not allowed around her now, you know that."

"I'm not here for Anna, I'm here for you," the woman said, her fury making her hands tremble.

For once, Elsa brushed off the urge to run, forcing strength to float on her voice.

"What do you want then?"

"You know what," she said, closing the space that Elsa had put between them, "Elsa, what are you doing? What are you doing with Anna? You knew that you were only supposed to keep her for a little while. And what? Now you have your father in jail and I can't get her back?"

"Yes, what's your question?"

The woman dropped her purse, and Elsa backed away.

"What was this, some kind of sick vendetta or something? A way to get me and your father back for your childhood or something?"

"What, no?!" Elsa shouted, feeling her fear being superseded with fury, "This has nothing to do with me and everything to do with Anna."

"Elsa," the woman said, her voice softening, "What you're doing here…I appreciate it. But you don't know what's best for her. You could barely take care of yourself before. You're too anxious and quiet and depressed to look outside of yourself to raise a child. I'm her mother, she should be with me."

Something inside the girl snapped, and all the rage and worry she'd pent up for months came out in one ferocious explosion.

"And, mother, tell me when exactly you did what was best for Anna. When you let dad hit her? Or throw her down the stairs? What, did you think she'd be less likely to tell someone if she was injured or dead? Was that it?"

"Elsa, stop it!"

"Or how about the fact that you didn't have her in school? Did you plan on doing that, or were you just going to use her as an errand boy when you ended up back on the streets?"

The woman stepped closer, "Elsa…"

"And who are you, of all people, to judge me for not being able to get outside of myself to worry about someone else? That's all you and father ever did, throughout my life and Anna's. So you can stand here and demean me all you want, you can knock me around, you can even lock me in a closet until I agree to get out of your life again, but I will not indulge your fantasy that you were any kind of mother to Anna. Because we both know that is far from the truth."

She didn't even have time for her words to catch up with her before the neighbors poked their head out the door.

"Is everything alright out here?" the woman said, cautiously stepping out the door, "I could hear y'all from the kitchen."

Elsa stood there panting, watching as her mother's pupils went from dilated to narrowed.

"Everything's fine," her mother said, picking up her purse, "I was just leaving."

She stood inches from Elsa's face, grabbing her shirt collar and hissing in her ear.

"I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into, Elsa. Because although I will not be coming back, I am done doing damage control."

She shoved Elsa away, stomping down the hall and to her car.

She didn't know what to make of the woman's words, but at the same time, was still shaken from her outburst; especially since it brought up things that she never thought she would acknowledge.

Her terror must have been visible, because her neighbor came out into the hall, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Are you sure you're alright sugar? That looked and sounded rough."

Elsa nodded, pulling away from the woman's hold.

"Yes, I'm fine. Sorry to bother you."

The woman shook her head, smiling at the girl warmly.

"Don't worry about it, as long as you're fine."

She straightened her apron, taking steps back to her own doorstep.

"Well, I best be getting back to my dinner. But if you need anything, feel free to let me or my husband know. The name's Tiana, by the way."

"I'm Elsa," the girl said, leaning against her own doorframe, waiting until her neighbor was out of sight to let the tears fall to her blushing cheeks.

xXx

Elsa didn't make it back into the apartment. She'd cracked the door, only to see Anna crying, and talking to one of her drawings of Kristoff about how scared she was. Elsa knew she'd seen and possibly heard most of the confrontation, and didn't have the drive to go to the girl to comfort her. She sat outside her apartment, leaning against the door, waiting for Anna to go into her bedroom so she could lie down on the couch.

"Elsa, what are you doing out there?"

Rapunzel was standing over her, two cups of iced coffee in her hands. Elsa had gotten so caught up in the exchange with her mother, she had completely forgotten that she would be coming over.

"Oh…I…I…"

Rapunzel smirked, "And don't lie to me either. I can already tell something's wrong."

The blonde handed Elsa her cup before sitting next to her on the ground. Elsa opened and closed her mouth, unable to bring herself to speak. Rapunzel sat there, stirring her drink with her straw, but not prodding the girl to speak any sooner than she wanted to.

"My mother came here about a little while ago."

Rapunzel stopped her motions, setting down the cup so she could give Elsa her undivided attention.

"And…we got into it. I yelled at her, she yelled at me, I said things I didn't plan on bringing up, and she said things that…didn't settle too well. Along the lines of that this is far from over."

Rapunzel leaned over, stroking Elsa's sore cheek with her index finger.

"Yeah," Elsa said before the girl even asked, "She only got one hit in before the neighbor mediated."

"Oh Elsa," Rapunzel said, sitting closer to her, "I am so sorry."

"Don't be," Elsa said, shrugging away and wrapping her arms around her stomach, "It's Anna that I'm worried about. She saw the whole thing and was upset by it. I haven't even spoken to her since."

Rapunzel paused momentarily before sighing, leaning back against the wall.

"It's sad, honestly, how used to this you both seem to be."

"I know," Elsa said, closing her eyes, "And from what she said as she was leaving, I have a feeling that just because she says it's over, doesn't mean it necessarily is."

"It's not over," Rapunzel said, the hardness in her voice making Elsa jolt, "The cycle of abuse never ends, especially when the abusee is vulnerable and the abuser isn't locked up somewhere."

"What do you mean?" Elsa asked, sensing that Rapunzel's hesitance was due to wanting an invitation to continue as opposed to not wanting to talk about it.

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with one hand and squeezing her elbow with the other. She took a few minutes, trying to calm herself before speaking.

"Remember how I told you my husband died?"

Elsa nodded.

"He didn't die. He was murdered."

Elsa opened her mouth to say something, but figured it'd be best to let Rapunzel finish before attempting to comfort her.

"My mother…the woman who gave birth to me, I mean…she wasn't willing to let me go without a fight. But Josephine was social worker, and until I was 18, keeping distance was as easy as a restraining order. Besides, she would never hurt her sister…but an outsider…that was a different story."

Rapunzel's eyes lingered on the sidewalk, her green eyes dimming to a weak shade of hazel.

"It was a few months after I'd married Eugene that we started getting letters. Weird, mysterious and threatening letters. They were all addressed to him, and they got more graphic and violent as time went on. They had no return address or anything, even thought I knew right off it was Miss Gothel. But we couldn't prove it. And one night…she broke into our house when we were asleep…his screams woke me up. She'd stabbed him through his stomach. My parents were staying with us that night, and my dad managed to get her away from the room before she could hurt me. But…it was too late for Eugene…"

Elsa was surprised when the girl didn't cry, and was even more so taken off guard by the warm palm that wrapped around her own hand.

"I know I sound a little bit like a lifetime movie when I get preachy," Rapunzel said, "But abusive people never change. And I've learned that there's no such thing as comfort as long as those people are given the opportunities to meddle in your life."

Elsa took a deep breath, raising her tear filled eyes to meet Rapuznel's.

"And…I don't know if your parents are like that. I never assume anything, ya know? And I don't generally talk about this with anyone, because it's so hard for me. I see a lot of myself in Anna. And I don't know what that means exactly, but…I just want her to be safe. She'll never let her guard down again, in all honesty. As well she shouldn't."

Rapunzel, somehow, managed to bring the light back into her eyes with the smile she gave to Elsa.

"I…I just want you…both of you…to be okay. Despite everything that might happen, I want that more than anything."

Any words Elsa may have had fled her mind through the shallow tear drops that fell down her cheeks. She said nothing as she wrapped herself around Rapunzel's open arms, crying into her shoulder.

"I know it doesn't seem like it now," she whispered against Elsa's hair, "And it may never feel like it at all. But eventually, it's going to work out. I promise."


	21. Let It Go

**AN: To those of you who have expressed concern over Rapelsa, I have one thing to say; just wait. There is a reason I'm doing this. You'll just have to trust me. I only explained in the AN last time because I know some of you were uncertain of what I was doing. Technically, there is some Rapelsa chemistry, yes, in this context it is canon, but I was planning on leaving it objective for the reader; read whatever you want into it, honestly. I can't say anymore without giving away the ending, but, seriously, just trust it has a purpose. **

**Also, I'm done with midterms/being busy. (Yay!) So, more frequent updates will be a thing. I have the rest of this story planned and plan on updating at least twice a week, maybe more. I'm not sure how many more chapters there will be, but I'd say at this point, between 9 and 12. I do want to finish before my finals start at the end of the month, so I may hightail it just a bit. (Don't worry, I'm not gonna burn myself out. I'd rather take longer and write a good story than speed it up and half-ass it. That's just the plan for now). I'm planning my next fic, which will be a lot more lighthearted and fun and less angsty than this one.**

**Also sorry for the long AN. **

"I'm very sorry Elsa. But the fact remains, your attendance is poor, your GPA has dropped considerably, and all of your professors say that you haven't submitted any of your assignments in over a month."

After she'd dropped Anna off at school, Elsa had a meeting with her academic advisor. Up until now, they had been purely for scheduling purposes, but when she was met by the solemn and unsettling eyes of her counselor, she knew that this would not be good news.

"Please, just give me a chance," Elsa plead, tears filling her eyes, "I can try to bring my grades up at finals time, and I'll work harder next semester."

The woman folded her hands, sighing deeply.

"Elsa, you haven't been in class for weeks. On that basis alone, you're likely to fail. If this was a temporary slip-up, we'd be willing to be more lenient. But, this is an ongoing issue."

When Elsa said nothing in response, she elaborated.

"I understand that you now have full custody of your sister?"

"Yes," Elsa said, her breathing becoming shallow and cold.

"I understand that your sister is where all your time has been going," the counselor said, closing Elsa's record, "But we can't just look the other way. You need to maintain a 3.0 for your scholarship, and after your performance this semester, we don't feel that it's a wise—."

"Please," Elsa cried, jumping out of her chair, her voice frenzied, "I'll try harder, I'll do summer school, I'll do whatever it is you want me to do. Please."

The woman sighed, looking at Elsa with a hint of remorse, although her words were clinical.

"Elsa, I am very sorry. You know that I think you're a good student. But we cannot overlook this, even in spite of what you're going through at home. Rules are rules."

The girl had to stop herself from dropping to her knees and begging. It was no use. She knew this was coming, but didn't know how hard it would sting.

"I can help you look into transferring. I know Arendelle Community College has a decent reputation," the woman said as Elsa grabbed her bag and shrank to the doorway.

"Thanks, but it's alright," she said to the doorframe.

Even if she'd wanted to, the only reason she was ever in college at all was the scholarship the school offered her. She couldn't afford anywhere else.

"I'm so sorry Elsa."

She smirked through her tears, "Yeah. Me too."

She opened and closed the door behind her, taking a last look around the school as she went to her bus stop. She couldn't believe that she'd slipped this far. She knew that her second chances were being used up, but she was in no way prepared for the aftermath of the subsequent disaster of the downfall.

She watched the tiles disappear beneath her feet, not paying attention to where she was going until she ran into someone's back.

"I am so sorry," Elsa murmured, curling further into herself, trying to get away.

"Elsa? Jesus, I thought you'd died or something."

She looked up to see Hans, textbooks in hand, hair disheveled like he hadn't slept in a while, and, surprisingly, more relieved than angry to see her.

"No, I didn't," she offered after a moment of awkward silence.

She thought he'd be angrier with her, but his smile indicated otherwise.

"Been busy lately?" he asked, ushering her down the hall as he walked to the parking lot.

"Yeah," she said, "I have Anna permanently now."

"Gerda told me," he said, "I'm glad for you both."

The silence hung between then until Hans spoke again.

"Picking out your schedule for next semester?"

"No," she answered, her voice low, "I, uh, won't be coming back."

He stopped and reached out to grab her when she kept moving, gently pulling her back to him by her arm.

"What? Are you serious?" he asked.

She nodded, "My GPA slipped up, they don't want excuses, and, well…" She shrugged as they resumed walking, "I knew it would happen. I just didn't want to admit it to myself."

"But…you're gonna transfer, right?" He asked, shifting his books from one arm to the other, "I mean, ACC isn't ideal, but it's better than nothing, right?"

"You know I can't afford that," she said, pausing as he opened the door and held it for her.

"Well, I'm sorry. Maybe it's for the best. Take a few months off, you and Anna can get yourselves together, and you can figure it out when you're feeling more up to it."

She stood inside the building as he held the door propped against his arm, making no motion to go outside. She looked him up and down, wondering how on Earth, after a month of ignoring him, he managed to act as if it hadn't happened. Or how he could have that much faith in her that things would work out.

It made her happy and sick all at the same time.

"You know," he said, "As fun as this stare-off is, it's hot out here."

"I'm sorry," she said, letting her arms drop to her sides.

"You don't have to be sorry, I was just joking."

"No," she said, "I mean…_I'm sorry._"

He blinked twice taking in her tone and emphasis on those words. A look of realization crossed his face.

"Oh," he said, letting the door drop behind him as he stepped back inside, "Oh."

She squeezed her eyes shut, focusing on her breath, which was becoming uneven.

"Elsa," he said, "Seriously, don't worry about it. I understand you were busy with Anna. Seriously, our little gossip talks or me and Fitz necking in the back of the theatre with you rolling your eyes at us wasn't nearly as important in comparison."

She swore she wasn't going to cry here, but she couldn't help herself.

'_He's so nice. I don't deserve it. I really don't.'_

"Hey, hey," he said, settling down his bag and books and wrapping his arms around her, "It's okay. Don't cry."

She had plenty of reasons to be crying, but was too focused on her anxiety to vocalize any of them. People came and went as she cried against him, whispering among themselves about what a basket case she was.

"I'm sorry," she said as she pulled away, wiping her nose on the back of her palm.

"Stop apologizing," he said, getting his stuff and shoving his books into his backpack, "I told you, it's fine. I understand."

She offered him a weak smile, rubbing the swollen skin under her eyes.

"I don't know how up to it you are," he said, "But I'm heading to work now. I'm sure Gerda would appreciate your smiling face and girlish charm in action today."

She hadn't planned on going to work at all. She was going to hop the bus to Anna's school to help Rapunzel with the end-of-the-year party the class was having after school. But, she figured it would be in her best interest to make an appearance.

"Okay," she said, following him out the door, "I guess I should go."

"I'll give you a ride, if you want."

"I would," she said, "Thank you."

"Not a problem," he said, digging his keys out of his pocket, "Not a problem at all."

xXx

Elsa knew something was up when Gerda's eyes followed her from the entrance, a mix of frustration and apprehension.

"Elsa, may I speak with you?" She said, her hands folded and her gaze focused.

"Sure," she said, cautiously approaching the circulation desk, Hans right behind her, "Before you say anything…I know I've taken too many days off, and I'm very sorry about that. Things got in the way, and, well…I'm not going to stand here and make excuses, but I promise, it will not happen again."

The woman sighed before speaking, "Well, I know for a fact it won't be happening again."

Her breathing caused her body to shake as she spoke, "What do you mean?"

"Elsa," she started, "You know that I am very understanding of what you are going through right now. And I have given you a lot of leeway, but…but I am not the one in charge here, and I think you forgot that."

She had, in fact, forgotten that Gerda was merely the supervisor, and not the director of the library.

"And the higher ups, they don't see and hear your story or your troubles. They only see blank spots on a check-in sheet on their payroll. I didn't want to be the one to have to tell you this…"

Her palms grew clammy as the woman hesitated over her last words.

'_No, no, no, no, please God, no.'_

"We're going to have to let—."

"No!" Elsa cried, her breathing heavy and her voice wavering, "Please, Gerda, no! Please don't fire me."

"Elsa," the woman said, her voice straining and her eyes softening, "I'm very, very sorry."

"I'll work extra shifts," Elsa stammered as though she didn't hear Gerda, "I'll stay late, I'll work holidays, I'll even scrub the toilets—."

"Elsa," Gerda said, coming around the counter, "I'm really, really sorry. I tried, lord, did I try. But they're adamant."

The girl fell to her knees, her cheeks flushing under the influence of warm tears.

"Please, I am begging!"

Patrons looked in their direction as Elsa stayed on the ground, her eyes pleading with the woman.

"I can't lose this job, not now," she said, "I can't lose this job. I will do anything. Please."

She could see tears sliding down the woman's face as she kneeled down to Elsa's level.

"Elsa," she said, cupping the girl's cheeks, "I am sorry. There is nothing I can do."

She felt Hans' hand on her shoulder, and vaguely heard him tell her about 'helping her find another job.' She didn't pay attention. She couldn't. She was paralyzed at the fact that she was now school and jobless, and the fear that this, after months of doing everything right, could be the thing that cost her Anna.

She shoved both of them aside, grabbed her purse, and ran out the door.

xXx

It was by some act of God that she managed to make it to Anna's school without any form of meltdown. It hadn't really sank in yet that her entire sense of stability had been shattered in a matter of a few hours. She half expected Anna to be gone from the classroom when she arrived, and released the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding when she saw Anna, chocolate frosting on her face, coloring with Merida and bossing around Kristoff.

"Hey, you made it!"

She was too busy watching Anna to notice that Rapunzel had come up to her, a smile on her face and a look of sheer joy in her eyes.

"Yeah, I—I made it."

The wavering in Elsa's voice and the clamminess of her face must have been noticable, because Rapunzel leaned in, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, Is everything alright?"

Elsa looked around, eyes falling to the table Anna was at. The girl didn't notice her, but Bulda and Eleanor, who were sitting by their children, waving to her.

"Elsa!" Bulda called, pointing to the seat between her and Anna, "Saved you a seat!"

Before Anna could see her, Elsa turned around, pouting out of the class room, eyes shut to prevent tears from falling.

"Elsa, wait!"

The girl paused when rushing footsteps came in her direction. Rapunzel stopped beside her, taking a moment to catch her breath. Elsa took a few more steps away.

"Elsa, what's going on?"

"Please," Elsa said, hunching over and waving her off, "Just leave me alone."

She was jolted back into place when a firm hand clasped over her wrist.

"Elsa," Rapunzel said, pulling Elsa back to her, "What's going on? You don't normally go running out of my…" she trailed off, laughing to herself, "Okay, maybe you do. But only when there's something really wrong. Did something happen? Is everything alright with Anna?"

Elsa sighed, turning around but keeping her distance.

"Anna's fine…I mean…she might be. I don't know."

"You're not making any sense."

Elsa sighed, her eyes shivering as they opened. Rapunzel, sensing her distress, took her by the hand and lead her into the nearby teacher's lounge which, thankfully, was empty.

"Alright," Rapunzel said, sitting both her and Elsa on the couch, "Now just calm down and tell me what happened."

Elsa buried her face in her hands, her entire body repelling any sense of morale the other girl may have offered her.

"I don't know what I'm going to do."

Rapunzel extended a hand to Elsa's shoulder, but hesitated as the girl's body language made it clear she did not want to be touched.

After a good few minutes of silence, Elsa took a deep breath, hoping she wouldn't break down midsentence.

"I had a meeting with my school counselor this morning," she said, her pressing her elbows into her knees, "And because I've missed so many classes and skipping out on assignments, I'm going to lose my scholarship."

"Oh Elsa," Rapunzel said, "I am so sorry. Are you going to transfer?"

Elsa shook her head, "I can't afford it."

"But your education is so important. I know it meant a lot to you. And you're going to give up just like that?"

"I'm sorry," Elsa said, throwing her body up out of the seat, "I don't exactly have options right now!"

"Well," Rapunzel said, looking aimlessly around the room, "Maybe you can make payments? Go to ACC? I'm sure the people at the library will be understanding and give you a bit of an advance or something if you tell them what happened."

Elsa sighed, exasperated, "Well, I'm sure they'd have to employ me in order to loan me money."

Rapunzel's eyes grew wide, "Oh Elsa, don't tell me…"

"Yes," Elsa said, "Gerda fired me this morning."

"I am so sorry."

"Don't be," Elsa said, walking over to the window, "It's my own fault. I'm the one who didn't attend class or bother to go to work. I knew this was coming. I got so caught up in seeing to Anna that I forgot I had other obligations. And well, it doesn't matter now, I guess."

Rapunzel stood up, standing at Elsa's side.

"You're going to go back to school though, right?"

Elsa shrugged, her shoulders barely moving out of place.

"Someday, maybe. For the time being, I need to focus on finding a job before the agency finds out I was fired. I can't take a chance at losing Anna, and I'm sure this is just the excuse that the weasel was looking for."

Rapunzel stared at her, a look of realization and a grin crossing her face, a small chuckle rising out of her.

"I'm glad you find this humorous," Elsa said, rolling her eyes, "But I don't see anything funny about me not having an income."

"Oh, oh no!" Rapunzel said, shaking her head, "It's not that. It's just…I just think you didn't know."

"What do I not know?" Elsa asked deadpan, crossing her arms.

"You said that you have custody of Anna, right?"

"Right."

"Well, you do realize that there's money available to long term foster parents, right?"

Elsa's arms dropped in surprise.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Rapunzel said, her smile radiating to her voice, "The government is so willing to give you money just for keeping Anna. I'm surprised my mother didn't mention that."

Elsa tried to think back on her last visit. Josephine might have mentioned that, and if so, she didn't catch it.

"And…well…this is really just a stab in the dark, but I do know of a job opening that I think you would be interested in."

Elsa smirked, "It could involve illicit dealings and at this point I'd likely take it."

Rapunzel reached in her back pocket, pulling out a crinkled up flier and smoothing it out.

"I, uh, meant to give this to you a while ago," she said, extending the paper in Elsa's direction, "But I wasn't sure if you'd be interested."

"What is it?" Elsa asked, taking the flier.

"Well, a few years back, the school had to make cuts to the art program. Government funding and all that. But we recently got our money back, and while the art teachers have already been hired, they're still looking for assistants. Preferably those with some artistic talent."

"What?!" Elsa exclaimed, reading the form over, her palms shaking in disbelief.

"And you don't need a degree or anything! Just show them a few sketches or something to prove that you've got what it takes, and I know you do."

Rapunzel kept babbling, but Elsa didn't hear her. It was too good to be true. A job doing something she liked. Just when she needed it most.

"….and the pay isn't that great. Probably about as much as you earned at the library. But it's a job. And a great chance to spend more time with Anna."

Elsa looked up at her, tears of joy in her eyes.

"I…I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, except that you're gonna apply for the job."

"Of course! This is perfect! Thank you so much."

Elsa felt the urge to wrap her arms around Rapunzel and pull her into an embrace, but held back out of reflex.

"Now come on," Rapunzel said, patting Elsa on the shoulder, "There's a party going on and Anna's been waiting on you for a while."

xXx

Rapunzel had to take a phone call from the office upon arriving at the classroom, but Elsa took a seat beside Bulda, who was sitting alone at the table.

"Hey Elsa! Haven't really seen you in a while. How are things going?" the woman asked.

"They…well, they're getting better," she responded, fingering the paper in her pocket, "They're getting better."

Eleanor took a seat a few away from Elsa, handing the girl a cup of juice.

"Elsa, hello. I trust you're doing well?"

Elsa nodded, taking a sip of her drink, "I am. I'm sorry I'm kind of late. I hope Anna was alright."

"She was," Bulda said, "She's such a sweet kid."

"Quite the personality," Eleanor said, "Very smart too. You should be proud."

"Thanks," Elsa said, "I am. She's…she's doing good."

The three sat in silence as Elsa took in the mess of crayons and construction paper on the table and the floor.

"What's all this?"

"Oh," Bulda said, gathering up some of the garbage, "The kids were just working on Mother's Day cards and all that before we ate."

Elsa's blood ran cold, at both the idea and the women's nonchalant manner of mentioning it. She'd completely forgotten about mother's day, and still had no idea how she would deal with Anna on that day. Not that the girl ever celebrated it before, of course, but now she was surrounded by kids who had, for the most part, complete families. Moreover, she could not, in her wildest, believe that Rapunzel, _of all people_, would be that inconsiderate. It was no wonder that Anna looked so distant when she'd initially seen her.

Elsa's hand was shaking so violently that knocked her cup over, fruit punch spilling all over the table.

"Oh my god," Elsa said, jumping up to clean the mess, "Jesus, I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's fine," Bulda said, grabbing some napkins and dabbing the table top, "It's just a spill. Nothing we can't fix."

"I'll go grab more napkins," Eleanor said, heading to the supply closet.

"I'll throw these out," Bulda said, hurrying away with a soggy pink ball in her hands.

Elsa settled back against her seat, wrapping her arms around herself. While waiting for the women to return, she heard an excited voice call her name.

"Elsa! Elsa! I thought your forgot about me!"

Elsa forced a smile, picking Anna up and settling the girl on her lap.

"Of course I wouldn't forget," she said, "I just ran a little late is all."

The girl didn't seem to be too upset, much to Elsa's surprise.

"Are you doing alright?" Elsa asked after a minute.

Anna looked up at her incredulously, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Elsa chuckled, figuring the girl had either didn't care about the Mother's Day thing or didn't want to show it.

"Oh, I made you something," Anna said, unfolding the white and mint blue piece of construction paper she'd hidden in her hands, getting glitter all over both of them.

"What is it?" Elsa said as Anna held it out for her.

"I know I'm have to give it to you Sunday, but the glitter would dry before then."

Elsa unfolded it further, revealing a sparkly and colorful picture of the two of them building a snowman with a bunch of hearts and snowflakes surrounding them. Across the top, in silver, it said, "Happy Mother's Day Elsa!"

"Oh, Anna," Elsa said, looking it over with tears in her eyes.

"I know you're not my mama," Anna said, "But you take care of me and love me and do all the stuff that mama's do. So you're like my mama."

Elsa didn't stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. She opened the card to read the short message her sister had written for her.

_Dear Elsa,_

_You're the best sister in the whole wide world. You're really nice and pretty and smart and I want to be like you when I grow up. I know mama and papa were mean to both of us, but we have each other now and they can't be mean to us ever again. I love you a lot and I want you to be happy and I can't wait to do more things with you. Thank you for keeping me, 'cos no one else ever did and I know you love me. I love playing with you and drawing with you and when you read to me. You're nicer to me than anyone ever and it makes me happy._

_PS – Olaf loves you too, he told me._

_Love,_

_Anna_

There were plenty of moments where Elsa was positive that taking Anna in was the wrong choice. When she stayed up late at night, worrying over how she would pay bills. When she was constantly reminded of how inept she was, by her parents, by counselors, by the Weasel. Or even when complete strangers gave her dirty looks or snide remarks in public about "how young she was to have a child." And most of the time, Elsa agreed with all of that, thinking that she had no business taking care of Anna and that she should've given her to someone that could.

But then, there were moments like this, when Elsa realized that her love for her sister superseded any doubts she or anyone else may have had. Other people may be able to meet her physical needs way better than she ever could. But she knew, deep down, that she was the only one who could satisfy her emotional needs. It gave her the push she needed to let go of any doubts or apprehensions. Because she knew her sister loved her enough to want her to make it work.

And that in itself was reason enough to believe in herself.


	22. The Pain Of The Past

**AN: Sorry for taking too long to update. Was in the hospital this week. But it's all good now. **

**We're jumping forward about two years or so now. Anna's in second grade, about eight years old or so. Not much going on plot wise, but the next chapter will pick that up again.**

"Elsa, we're going to be late."

"Anna, have we been late for school any day this year? Or the last?"

The girl sat back, thinking to herself.

"Not a lot. Monday's I'm sometimes late. Wednesday too, sometimes. and Friday—."

"Alright, Anna. I get it. We aren't punctual people."

Initially, Elsa had a bit of a difficulty adjusting to the job in the art department. Although it was a poorer public school, most of the teachers they had hired looked their nose down at her because they had college degrees and experience whereas she didn't. That is, all of the teachers except for one.

She'd been surprised to see Eleanor working there; she didn't know she was into art or a teacher. Regardless, the woman seemed to have a patience and love for children that Elsa never, in a million years, would have thought she possessed. And what's more, she helped Elsa acclimate to the job, even complimenting her skills every so often. With Eleanor's help, Elsa managed to keep the job for two years, and the children grew to love her as well.

Anna, despite her difficulties adjusting, managed to really break out of her shell towards the middle of first grade. Elsa tried her best to give the girl a somewhat stable home life, and in turn, her school career did as well. She managed to earn straight A's every term and was already reading at a fourth grade level, even though she was now only in second. She was still friends with Kristoff, and the two were as inseparable as ever.

Elsa and Hans rarely saw each other, only speaking in passing at the store. Elsa had grown so accustomed to her new life revolving around Anna, that her old life at college seemed distant, as if it had never happened. She only saw Gerda when Anna needed to go to the library, and even at that, their conversations were brief and detached.

The only connection she seemed to have to her past anymore was the looming fear that one day, her mother and father would come banging on her door to take Anna away. Of course, those worries were for nothing, as they made no attempts to contact either girl. Her father was still in jail, and to her knowledge, her mother had moved cross country to live with a relative.

Josephine reassured her that she had nothing to worry about, but her anxiety had been deaf to the voice of reason, and still was to this day.

"Elsaaaaa," Anna whined, jumping off the couch, "Come ooooon, I don't wanna be late."

"Alright, alright," Elsa said, zipping up the girl's lunchbox and tossing it in her backpack, "I'm coming."

xXx

It was by some miracle that they actually did make it on time that day with the bus running late. Elsa shuffled her younger sister off to her classroom on her way to the art wing.

"Running a little late, I see," Anna's teacher said, winking at the girl as she ran into the classroom.

"The busses were not working in my favor today," Elsa said, waving to Anna as she disappeared into the backpack closet.

"I understand. Don't worry about it," the teacher said, ushering in the last of her students, "But you should probably get a move on before Gaston comes out here to flirt with us."

Elsa looked at her watch, realizing how close to eight it was.

"You're right, I should go. Thanks Belle."

Elsa took off down the hall, barely making it into the art room before the bell rang.

"Timeliness is a virtue, Ms. Anderson," Eleanor said, not looking up from her desk.

"Tell that to public transportation," Elsa said, throwing her jacket and purse into the office, "At least we don't have a class first period so we have time to get prepared."

"True," Eleanor said, closing her lesson plan book, "Since my three boys decided they don't like waking up in the morning, I savor each spare second I can get."

"I don't know how you do it," Elsa said, taking paint sets out of a cabinet and placing them on the tables, "I can barely get one kid up and moving. You've got four."

The woman stood up, walking to the cabinet to help Elsa set the room up.

"Well, I'd tell you how I do it, but I'm not so certain of that myself."

The pair chuckled, the room growing silent as the last of frantic voices and tapping shoes in the hall made their way into their respective classrooms.

"By the way," Eleanor said, "Rapunzel was in here looking for you earlier. I don't think she can grasp your issue with timeliness any better than the principal can."

Elsa perked up at the sound of Rapunzel's name. Even after Anna had left her class, the older girl had kept in contact with her, maintaining their relationship better than she had with anyone else in her entire life. In the last couple of years, it hadn't led to anything romantic, much to Elsa's dismay. She was more surprised at herself for being so upset about it. She never had any indication that Rapunzel was interested in anything more than friendship. She was just so used to being shunned and not liked that she wondered if she was mistaking mere companionship for romantic attraction. Whatever the case, she didn't let her flustered feelings show. Rapunzel was the first _real_ friend that she'd had and kept in a long time, she didn't want to risk anything to mess that up.

Regardless, she enjoyed the woman's company. She still had that ability to cheer her, and Anna, up at any given opportunity.

A bell rang, and a flock of first graders came running into the room, sitting at their tables, waiting for class to start.

"I guess I'll catch up with her after school," Elsa said to Eleanor, "We've got work to do."

xXx

With the art fair only a couple of months away, any spare time Elsa had throughout the day went to dealing with caterers and art suppliers. The school wide art fair was one of two real events the school put on throughout the year, and took place on the last day of school. Kids from kindergarten through fifth grade had their work on display, and invited their families to eat and play games and admire the children's art. It had been Elsa's idea initially, but Eleanor helped her execute it. Though it was very quaint and intimate, it required a lot of planning on Elsa's part months in advance. By the end of the day, she was usually exhausted, but today she had plans with Bulda, and knew she wouldn't be home for a while.

After she'd gathered her things well after the last bell, Elsa went by Anna's classroom to pick her up. When she arrived at the room, Belle was leaning against the door, while Gaston, the other second grade teacher, leaned flirtaciously against the bulletin board.

"Come on Belle, what do you say? It's just coffee."

The teacher rolled her eyes, "I don't think my boyfriend would appreciate it very much."

"He doesn't have to know," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Gaston, you are positively primeval," she said, turning her attention to Elsa, "Hello Elsa. Let me just go get Anna."

As she walked away, Elsa shrugged to Gaston, "Better luck next time?"

He put his hands on his hips, "She'll come my way eventually. The ladies always do."

He winked at her as he turned back into his classroom, shutting the door behind him. Elsa shook her hand. Why was this man responsible for young children? She asked herself.

"Elsa, I've been looking for you all day!"

She turned to see Rapunzel standing behind her, a smile on her face and her golden hair braided to one side.

"I know, I'm sorry I didn't catch up with you sooner. Planning for the art festival takes a lot of time."

Rapunzel shook her head, "Don't worry about it. I just wanted to make sure you and Anna were still coming over Saturday night. My mom wants a headcount so she knows how many places she should set."

Saturday. Rapunzel's birthday. Elsa still had no idea what to get her.

"Of course we are," Elsa said, "I wouldn't miss it for anything."

She could feel her cheeks flushing at how inane her words sounded, but if Rapunzel noticed, she said nothing.

"Great!" Rapunzel said, "I know the idea of a sit down dinner sounds so stuffy and formal, but it's usually pretty fun, especially after my dad's had a few glasses of wine."

Elsa chuckled, "I can't wait to see that."

Anna ran out of the classroom, grabbing onto Elsa's hand.

"Elsa, let's go. Kristoff left an hour ago and I wanna get there before his cousins eat all the pudding."

"Oh, alright," she said as Anna tugged her towards the door.

"I'll call you tonight," Rapunzel called out as the two hustled down the hall.

xXx

Elsa had been unusually silent while Anna and Kristoff played. Bulda's few attempts to converse with the girl fell flat, as Elsa's focus seemed to be elsewhere. After a while, Bulda sent the kids to the store with her husband so they could get a moment alone.

"Alright Elsa," Bulda said as soon as the front door shut, "What's wrong with you? And don't say 'nothing' either, because I can tell that's not true."

Elsa sighed, her eyes stuck out the window, watching the horizon fade from orange to purple.

"It's okay," Bulda said when Elsa remained silent, "I've got all night. Take your time."

"I got a call from Josephine," she said after a while, "When we first got here. It's why I sent Anna in ahead of me. I could tell from her voice that it wouldn't be good news."

She paused before continuing, almost not wanting to say the words out loud.

"My father's getting out of prison next week. And my mother is moving back here with him."

"What?" Bulda gasped, moving closer to the girl, "What does this mean?"

"I don't know," Elsa said, barely a whisper, "She said she couldn't tell me anything until I met with her. And I can't do that until next week."

The woman sighed, reaching over to pat Elsa's shoulder, "I am so sorry Elsa."

"I'm scared," she said, her voice cracking, "I'm so scared."

"Listen," Bulda said, turning Elsa around to face her, "I know this system may not be perfect. But they wouldn't turn her back to your parents. Not in a million years."

"But the weasel has said—."

"Forget the weasel!" Bulda yelled, throwing her hands up, "And forget what anyone else has told you while you're at it! Your parent's record speaks for itself. And so does yours. If they're interested in what's best for Anna, they'll listen."

The girl bit her lip, wanting to believe what Bulda was telling her. But Josephine's tone had been grim. And Elsa had been reading up on the system since she was given custody over Anna, and how the department can go back on their word. She also knew what her own intuition, which had been her only loyal companion for years, was telling her.

She wanted to believe it would work out clean and easy. But knew better than to be brought into a false sense of security.


	23. Sorry Promises

**AN: This fic is actually almost done, and I'm really sad to see it end but am SO happy with the amount of support it's gotten! Thank you all so very much! I'm working on my next fic, which will be mostly Kristanna, but have a sisterly subplot. And the story line is much less angsty than this. It's actually really fun, so yay! **

Josephine's eyes were weighed down with sadness – no, straight up agony – as Elsa swung the door to her office open. She knew, she just _knew _that this was not going to be good news, and with her social worker on the verge of tears by her mere appearance, she didn't even want to think about what was going to happen.

Her first instinct was to run, which made her ashamed. There she was, years later, and she returned to that shut in of a woman who hid away in the face of conflict or danger. She couldn't do it. She really couldn't do it. She couldn't let those words, whatever they were, pass through her ears and crawl around in her mind. They wouldn't settle well in her stomach. She'd just throw them back up; getting word vomit all over the upholstered carpet and Josephine's new shoes. Her body would reject them, but her system couldn't fight them off. They'd grow inside her, like a cancer eating away at her bone marrow, leaving her nothing save for a patch of skin with frigid breathing and empty arms.

She met the woman with direct eye contact.

"I'm sorry Elsa."

With that, she crumpled into the chair, crying away the fears that kept her vision blurred for quite some time.

She sat there and said nothing as the facts were regurgitated to her, clinical and detached: her father got released early for good behavior; he'd shown such a tremendous change in his time there and their mother even had a job now; since they went above and beyond, the agency reviewed their file once again, and there was a strong chance that Anna would be going to live with them.

Elsa only caught bits and pieces of what Josephine said after that.

"….there was always the change this would happen…."

"…..your own financial instability is the issue…."

"….the weasel isn't giving me much choice…."

Her words were caught in her throat, but for once, she grabbed them by the ankles, forcing them out.

"But you promised this wouldn't happen."

The woman stopped, struck by the weight of her own words coming back to haunt her.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but I shouldn't have ever promised you that."

"You _promised_."

"Elsa, I'm sorry—."

"No, you don't get it," Elsa said, gripping the edges of the chair so hard the plastic pulsed against the veins in her palms, "You _promised_ that this wouldn't happen. So I promised Anna." Her voice was rising and breaking simultaneously, "How on Earth am I supposed to explain this to her now? Huh?!" She stood up, her fists hard against the air, "What am I supposed to tell her?!"

"Elsa, it's how the system works sometimes—."

"She is eight years old," Elsa said, her voice cold and even, "She doesn't get that it's _how the system works_. All she will get is that people she trusted are sending her back to the parents that hurt her. And what's worse is that we _promised _– you, me, Rapunzel, Bulda, her friend Kristoff even – promised her it wouldn't happen."

The woman sat there, dumbfounded. Elsa reasoned that she was used to people having outbursts like this in her office, but was likely more shocked that it was coming quiet, mild-mannered Elsa.

"I'm sorry Elsa."

She grabbed her purse, turning to the door.

"Sorry doesn't fix this."

xXx

She hid away in the back of the bus for hours. It could have been days and she would not have known the difference. She watched the same buildings and trees and cars pass by her over and over again. She lost count of the number of times she saw these images slip past her, like she was watching the city pass her instead of being a part of it. It was like a bad movie, really.

She caught the comments of people staring at her, wondering 'why that girl is sobbing in the corner of the bus,' but disregarded them. She knew she looked like a mess. She knew that she _was _a mess.

She had to get off this bus. It was too small, much like her own skin. Her lungs were going to explode as they pressed so tight against her chest, because there wasn't enough air. She yanked the cord over her head to signal for the bus driver to stop, and sprinted out as it came to a halt at a nearby corner, not stopping until she reached a street she recognized.

She didn't intend to end up on Hans' doorstep, but that didn't stop her from grinding her shoes into the welcome mat and pounding on the door. When he didn't immediately answer, she knocked again, harder.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," his voice called. She stood impatiently as she heard the clatter of his locks against the wood. When the door flew open, she jumped into her arms, screaming against his chest.

"Elsa, what's wrong?!" he asked, momentarily caught off guard.

She couldn't speak, only breathe heavily against him, as if uttering actual words would make her lose her balance. He said nothing, but much to her surprise, he made no move to comfort her either.

He helped her stand upright on her own before asking, "Elsa, mind telling me what happened?"

She used his arms to help her catch her balance.

"My father got out of jail, and allegedly he's been doing very well. And my mother has a job, and…and…"

A hint of concern flashed through his eyes, but he waited for her to finish.

"Anna's probably going back to live with my parents."

The silence hung between them for a while. Elsa expected him to say something, _anything _really, in comfort.

"Well…isn't that a good thing?"

She should've pulled away from him, but she was so stunned at what he said that she was frozen against his body.

"I mean…it's been a couple of years, right? Maybe they really have changed this time."

"What are you saying?" she gasped, gathering her sense and standing away from him.

"Elsa, think about it. I know you love Anna, and your heart is in the right place, but you're too young to have this much responsibility."

"I've done it the last few years, and done so just fine."

He groaned, leaning against the door frame, "Elsa, you've barely talked to me in the last few years. I don't know that. Besides that, aren't you forgetting that this is what you wanted in the first place?"

Her breathing was shallow and her eyes were foggy as she struggled to answer him.

"What are you talking about?"

He sighed, "Remember the first few months when Anna came to stay with you? You waited and stressed out over when your mother would come back for her. You practically prayed for that day to come."

"A lot has changed, Hans," she said, treating his name as if it were a curse word, "I know a lot more than I did at the time."

"But that doesn't change the fact that you didn't want this at first. Elsa you couldn't wait for Anna to leave once upon a time. You've given up everything to raise a child you never even saw, and now you have the opportunity to get your life back. You can go back to school, get a job that isn't at that school. Elsa, this could be a good thing for you."

"But what about Anna?!" she cried out, tears creeping from her eyes, "People like that…they don't change. They act like they do, but the moment they get what they want, the façade is gone. I'm sorry Hans, I know it seems strange, but…Anna is more important than those other things. School will wait. I love my job. I love Anna!"

"Really?! You really love Anna?!" Hans yelled, slamming his hand onto the wall, "That's funny, because up until three years ago, you didn't want anything to do with her! You never made an effort to see her, but all of a sudden, because the burden was placed on you, you decide that you care. That is so messed up, Elsa, it really is."

"But I couldn't go back!" she screamed, "Don't you see that!? I couldn't."

She sighed, wiping the tears and snot from her face.

"The last time I had went over there, the day I was kicked out, I wasn't initially kicked out. I tried to run away because I couldn't take it anymore. So my father locked me in the closet and wouldn't let me out."

"Shit Elsa," he murmured.

"He said I was being rash and I should've controlled myself better. Hans, it was awful. But I managed to break out and I tried to leave again. We really got into it. Luckily I'm quick so he never got a hit in. I had about three seconds to gather my things before I was pushed out the door. He said if I set foot on his property again, he would shoot me on sight."

She took a shaky breath before continuing, "That's why I never went back Hans. And trust me, I feel terrible for leaving Anna there. I will never forgive myself for that. But I had no choice. If I tried to intervene before, it wouldn't have ended well for any of us."

"So you were just gonna hope for the best with Anna, am I right?"

"Hans," she cried, "It's not like that."

"Elsa, I'm not getting into this with you," he said, "All I know is how things were before and what you're telling me now…Elsa, it doesn't add up. Besides, they wouldn't let her go back with them if it was that unsafe, would they?"

She was dumbfounded at how blind he seemed to be.

"Elsa, you've been told time and time again that this was only temporary. You were her foster parent and that was it."

"I am so sick of people saying that to me," she said, "I hate that word with every fiber of my being. Foster, foster, foster. You're her foster parent, don't get attached. You're a foster parent, you don't count. It counts to Anna. And all the stuff from the past…it doesn't matter now. It shouldn't matter. Someone shouldn't get a do over just because they said they were sorry. Sorry doesn't heal the wounds, nor does it erase the memories. It's a word; a meaningless and shallow word."

He gave her a once over, his eyes disconnected from the woman standing in front of him.

"Elsa," he said, "Are we talking about Anna right now, or are we talking about you?"

She stopped breathing as she flashed back to her father saying those exact words to her a while ago.

He was right. They both were. At a certain point, this may have been a personal vendetta against her parents for what they did for her, with Anna being the consolation prize thrust into the middle of it all. It had changed somewhere along the line, when Elsa realized just how much her little sister meant to her. The people who really loved her saw that change; those who didn't only saw her words and actions through one warped lens that they couldn't bother to clean.

She never believed her best friend would be one of those people.

"You should go now," he said, not moving from the door frame.

She backed away, walking through the parking lot, looking back over her shoulder to see if Hans was watching her.

Her eyes were met with the black sheen of the closed door.


	24. Agony To Wait

Days went by, and Elsa didn't tell Anna what was inevitably going to happen. She couldn't find the words. Or rather, the words couldn't seem to find her. They'd escape her at every opportunity, running down the hall, out the door and into the street, only to be crushed by incoming traffic. She knew she'd have to sit Anna down at some point and explain it to her, but couldn't bring herself to do it. The girl was attached to her, and this ratty apartment was the place she now called home. It wouldn't go well, and that's what Elsa was most afraid of. Anna would be heartbroken, probably throw a fit, and Elsa knew she would as well. She'd crumple in front of the young girl's eyes and stay in shambles on the floor until Social Services burst her door down and dissected Anna from her shattered arms.

She couldn't manage it, not right now.

Anna was smart though. She knew something was up when Elsa retracted into her shell, as she saved her meltdowns for special occasions these days. Whenever the girl questioned her, Elsa would make up some excuse to defer the conversation even longer. It'd felt like an eternity, when, in truth, it had only been a few days. Josephine was coming Tuesday morning for a meeting, but Elsa knew that visitation would end with Anna being removed from her custody. The thought was painful. So painful, in fact, that by Monday morning, Elsa couldn't bring herself to speak to Anna at all.

"Are you mad at me?" the girl asked on the bus ride to school that morning.

Elsa looked down at her, fighting the urge to burst into tears. She shook her head in response, fixing the flyaway hairs from Anna's braids.

It pained her, physically pained her, to realize that this might very well be her last day with her sister. It chewed at her bone marrow and poked at her muscle fibers so harshly she wanted to scream out loud.

She allowed herself another glance at Anna. The girl was playing with the cover of her book, which she was almost done with, even though she'd only started a few days ago.

'_I'll probably have to return it for her,' _Elsa thought, and the realization made her even sadder.

Once they arrived at the school, she barely got Anna to her classroom on time before hurrying to the art room, not wanting to lose her sister and her job all in the same day.

"You're on time for once," Eleanor chided as Elsa ducked through the door.

"Well," she said in response, as if that one word held enough explanation. She shoved her bag into the office before getting to work, placing easels around the room, slamming them into the floor.

"Is everything alright?" Eleanor asked.

Elsa didn't respond, instead, setting up a broken easel, accidentally spilling paint on the ground.

Eleanor stood from her desk, walking over to her. "Oy, that floor must've really ruined your day."

Elsa sighed, leaning against the nearby table.

Once she collected herself, she said, "If it's alright with you, I'd rather not talk about it."

That was the one thing about Eleanor that she couldn't say for anyone else; when Elsa asked for her space and privacy, it was granted, no questions asked.

"Alright," the woman said, gathering some papers, "Well, I need to go to the office to fill out some forms if you need me."

Her footsteps disappeared down the hall as Elsa bent down, grabbing a washcloth to clean up the mess she'd made. When she heard someone come into the room, she figured that Eleanor must've come back for something. But the footsteps halted inches from her face, and the glittered sandals were much too fashionable to belong to the somewhat matronly woman.

Elsa glanced up, only noting short brunette hair before returning to her work.

"May I help you with something?"

"For starters, you can tell me how you've managed to spill paint already."

Elsa's hand stopped over the paint as the voice registered in her head. She looked up to see Rapunzel, eyes glowering down at her, and her once long and golden hair now burnt sienna in color and cut to her cheekbones.

"I'm sorry," Elsa said, standing up, "I just didn't recognize you."

Rapunzel crossed her arms, "Why didn't you come to my party?"

Right. The party. She knew she'd forgotten something.

"Rapunzel, I am so, so sorry about that. Something just…" she trailed off, feeling like a fool for making excuses, "Came up. I got caught up in it and it completely slipped my mind. It wasn't intentional. I swear."

Rapunzel glared at her for another moment before her muscles relaxed and her smile returned.

"No, it's fine," she said, "My mother said something had come up but couldn't tell me any of the details. I still wish you'd have called though."

Elsa frowned, "I'm sorry. But I did get you a present."

Rapunzel immediately perked up, "Alright. You're forgiven. What is it?"

Elsa was so caught up in her excitement, she forgot that what she'd gotten her was a gorgeous head scarf with the same pattern on the flag she kept in her office.

"I…" Elsa said, vaguely gesturing to the woman's hair.

Rapunzel stared at her questioningly, reaching her fingers up to her short locks.

"Oh! Right, the hair," she said, giggling, "Funny story. Or, really, not so funny. Friday night I had a bit of a meltdown. My…Ms. Gothel, when I was locked in the basement, had this fixation on my hair. She thought it was magic and would spend all her time brushing and caressing it. The memory always drove me mad, but I never had the guts to do anything about it. But I was crying over America's Next Top Model reruns, and then I got this…this surge or something. My friend, Ariel, owns a hair salon. So I called her up, went over, had her chop my hair off and dye it." She paused, taking in Elsa's face, "I know, crazy story. But does it look okay?"

"Yes," Elsa said, smiling, "It looks amazing. Different. But it's a good different."

"But anyways," Rapunzel said, "My present?"

"Hold on," Elsa said, "It's in my purse."

Elsa went into the office, retrieving the purple wrapped box from the bottom of her purse. She walked back into the room, settling the package in Rapunzel's hands.

"I hope you like it," Elsa said as the woman unwrapped it, "I mean, I bought it before…but, I think you could still use it."

"Oh Elsa," she said, holding the material in her hands, opening it up, "It's beautiful. Where did you find it?"

"You can find almost anything in Oaken's outlet if you try hard enough," Elsa said, blushing as Rapunzel tied it around her head. God, she looked beautiful.

"I love it," she said, staring at her reflection in a nearby window.

"I'm glad," Elsa said.

Rapunzel sighed, settling against a table.

"So, what's going on?" she asked, her voice growing somber.

Elsa braced herself against the easel, her body quivering at the answer to that question. She focused on taking one breath at a time, trying to get her mouth to formulate coherent thoughts not involving desperate cries.

"Anna's probably going back to live with my parents."

The weight of those words lifted a small burden from her shoulders; it was the first time she'd said that aloud since Hans. That relief was superseded by the look of grief across Rapunzel's face as her mouth twisted into a frenzied hole.

"Oh, God Elsa," she said, rushing to the girl's side, "Are you serious?"

She nodded, "I mean, it's not set in stone yet, but it's pretty definite."

Rapunzel was at a loss for words, "What? Are you kidding? Why would they do that?"

"Good question," Elsa said, hugging her stomach, "I guess The Weasel does get the final say after all."

There was a slight pause where Elsa refused to meet Rapunzel's eyes. She couldn't tell if the brunette was infuriated or deeply disturbed.

"So, that's it? You're just going to give up?"

Elsa's head shot up, taken aback by her sharp tone.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me Elsa," she continued, her fists shaking, "You're seriously just going to give up like that? Knowing what Anna might have to go through? Elsa you know she loves you. She _needs _you. You can't abandon her like that."

"What am I supposed to do?!" Elsa said, throwing her hands up in the air, "I don't have options."

"You can find them!" She yelled, "Elsa, come on, you can try a little bit harder than that. Or do you go through life giving up when it gets too hard."

Elsa didn't know what came over her. She knew exactly where Rapunzel was coming from, and that she was completely right. However, the stress of the last few days had become too much, and she was through sitting back while other people told her how to conduct her life.

She'd had enough.

"Rapunzel," Elsa said, fighting to keep her voice steady and concise, "It doesn't work like that. The real world doesn't come together clean and even, and the right things don't happen because they're right. _You _may have the capacity to find more solutions to your problems, and _you _might have to resources. But I don't. I'm broke and I'm unstable, and I'm did my best to keep my life, and that of my eight year old sister's together enough so that we didn't end up in the situation we are now. Obviously, that wasn't enough. It never is."

"Well, when you have a defeatist attitude –."

"Did you not hear a word I just said?!" Elsa screamed, her voice rigid, "It has nothing to do with my attitude. When you have enough money and support to get through things, then yes, it's easy to say that. But I struggle. The real world outside of this school is not a pretty place Rapunzel. It's dark, and it's hard, and ends never meet, and there's no one there to bail you out when you mess up. I can only do what I can do. That's my life, Rapunzel. I know it well, and so does Anna."

Rapunzel crossed her arms again, "Does she now? And how exactly did she take the news."

Elsa exhaled, realizing she didn't have an answer to that.

"You didn't tell her, did you?"

She didn't move a muscle, not trusting herself after her last outburst.

Rapunzel sighed, disgusted.

"Fine. I just hope for Anna's sake you know what you're doing."

And with that, the woman left Elsa alone, stomping against the tiles as she walked out the door.

xXx

The rest of the day was met with sideways glances and meek shoulder pats. It was a small enough school and word had travelled fast. Elsa was worried that it would get back to Anna, but the girl was smiling and holding Kristoff's hand when she came to pick her up. The sight broke her heart as she realized the girl would have to leave behind the first – and only – real friend she'd ever had.

They spent the evening with Bulda and her husband. The woman spent the entire time reassuring Elsa that justice would prevail in the end and that it would all work out. Those words were so empty to her at this point, they might as well never have been said.

When it was time to leave, Elsa made sure Anna took extra time to say bye to Kristoff. If Anna suspected anything, she knew by now that something wasn't right, but obliged and hugged her friend goodbye.

After they'd gotten home and Anna was put to bed, Elsa sat on her porch, watching the stars trying to shine through the smudged nighttime clouds. She didn't linger when she tucked Anna in; if she tried to speak to the girl at all, it would just end in tears.

She had to say something to her. She couldn't just let Josephine do the talking when she showed up at their doorstep at eight in the morning. She could, honestly, but that would just make the situation worse.

Elsa pulled at a loose string on her shirt, allowing herself to cry for the first time in days. This was hard. It was too much. She wasn't ready to say goodbye to Anna. And if her parents took the girl, she knew that it would be goodbye. They'd never let her near her sister again, and as much as Elsa hesitated to admit it, she would miss the girl like a limb or organ.

She hadn't expected to grow to love her sister as much as she did. Now she couldn't imagine life without her voice or her laughter. Without her drawings taped the wall or the books strewn throughout the apartment. Even the mess of chocolate all over her sheets and the puddles of snowmen Anna insisted on bringing into the house. There was nothing about that girl that she didn't love or could live without, now that she was so accustomed to her presence.

It kept her sane and it kept her stable. And, what's more, Anna was the only person who ever loved and needed Elsa, and vice versa.

The thought didn't hit her, it tore through her like a wolf through a hunted carcass, and it crashed over her head like a wave over a wooden ship in a storm. She'd never been wanted or needed by anyone in her entire life. At least, not in an ideal sense. She'd been needed for work, or cleaning up vomit, or being a third wheel, things like that. But never in the sense like it was with Anna. The girl ran to hug her upon entering a room. She drew pictures of the two of them, ran proudly to her when she accomplished something, always said and showed Elsa her love, even though she was too young to understand the impact she was having.

Everything became clear. There was no way on Earth she could give this up, not without a fight.

Elsa had no second or rational thoughts about what she had to do as she surged back into the apartment and to her room. She couldn't stop to think, because she'd talk herself out of this if she did. And she knew, somewhere that this was, hands down, the worst idea she'd ever had in her entire life.

But as far as options went, it was the only one.

She grabbed her blue backpack and purse, shoving everything she could manage into the two small bags. She crept into Anna's room, grabbing the girl's backpack and tucking her clothes, two dolls, Olaf, and the dog Kristoff got her inside.

As she tucked the two books on her nightstand into the front pocket, she reached over, shaking the girl until she woke up.

"'S'it morning already?" she asked, yawning and stretching her hands over her head.

She helped Anna get out of bed, slipping a light coat on the girl's shoulders.

"What's going on?" she asked as her small feet were slipped into a pair of shoes.

Elsa sighed, plastering a fake smile on her face.

"We're going on a trip Anna. But we have to leave now, alright?"


	25. Disney Bound

**AN: Just for the record, I'm not going to rush the ending. When I said I was almost done, I meant time wise, this story would be finished in the next few weeks. I've put too much into this for a rushed ending. Anyways, I couldn't sleep and decided to be productive. Enjoy!**

The common sense that had abandoned her hours ago finally caught up to her as they crossed the Minnesota state border. Anna was sleeping against her side, Elsa's coat serving as a makeshift blanket. The older girl emptied her bank account on the way out of town, keeping up the charade that she and Anna were just going on a surprise trip. At first she was going to buy them bus tickets, but figured that would be too obvious. Luckily, there were still a few trains running, and the odds were slim that anyone would recognize them.

They'd been tucked in the back cabin for six hours. Elsa knew, because she counted every minute off on her phone, unable to process exactly what it was she was doing. But when the other riders fell silent, and it was clear that she was the only one awake, it hit her, like a lightning bolt of ice straight through her heart.

Taking Anna had seemed like a good idea at the time. Not so much a good idea as it seemed rational. Conclusive. A definite solution to a catastrophic problem. But it was at this point she realized that her decision had cost her any chance she would have of being able to keep her sister. She briefly contemplated getting off at the next city, buying a transfer ticket, and acting as if this had never happened.

Even in her hypertensive state, she knew that would never work. They could never get back to the apartment in time to beat the social workers there. And even if they did, there wasn't enough time to tell Anna to be silent or put their things away.

Elsa sighed. She'd dug herself into a hole that there was no way out of. She closed her eyes, letting the tears fall from her eyes and down her cheeks, resigning to go with the wind, dealing with the aftermath when the time came.

xXx

She had no idea what time it was when she woke up. Anna was now curled in her lap, and her phone was vibrating in her palm. She pressed the talk button, knowing who it was without having to look at the caller ID.

"Elsa, where are you? Please tell me you're just at work and forgot about our meeting."

The panic in Josephine's voice, matched with Elsa's silence, gave the woman the answer she anticipated, but hoped she wouldn't receive.

"Elsa," she groaned, exasperated, "For God's sake. Please. Tell me you didn't take Anna and run."

"I took Anna and left," Elsa deadpanned.

She heard Josephine screech in frustration, "Elsa, why in hell would you do that?"

"I didn't have a choice," Elsa said, trying to keep her voice low, "You were going to take Anna away from me."

She was getting used to those words on her lips, as they were becoming her reasoning for every illicit action she was performing.

"Elsa, we didn't know that for a fact just yet. And besides, what you're doing is a crime. You do realize that, don't you? Any chance of keeping Anna, you threw away when you chose to do that."

Elsa gulped, looking down at her sister, still asleep in her lap. She brushed back the girl's bangs, taking a shaky breath. Josephine was right. She knew it. As sick as she was of everyone else dictating to her what she should be doing, she knew that she didn't do that so well herself.

"Look, I'm sorry," Elsa breathed, "I just…I screwed up. I know. But…I had to do it. I can't take that chance of him hurting Anna again. I'd never forgive myself."

She heard a sharp sigh from the other end of the phone.

"Elsa, you know I have an obligation to report this to the police, right?"

"No!" Elsa yelled, a little too loudly, "Please, I am begging you. Don't do this."

"I have to. I have an obligation – a legal obligation – to do it."

"Please," Elsa said, her voice breaking, "He's just going to hurt Anna again. You know that. I can't let that happen." She sighed, looking at her sister's ruffled hair. "She's all I have, Josephine. She's my family. I love her. I had to do something, since the agency seemed to be out of options for me."

When Josephine didn't argue, she kept talking.

"My father hasn't changed. Neither has my mother. You know that just as well as I do. It's going to be the same thing over and over again. Please, just give me a chance to give Anna a better life. I can't let what happened to me happen to her."

"Elsa, it would be a different story if I didn't know. But I do know. And, knowing this, I have no choice but to report it. Kidnapping is a serious issue."

"I didn't kidnap her," Elsa said, "She's still in my custody. We could be on vacation for all they know."

"Elsa," Josephine chided, "It looks bad that you disappear in the middle of this. And what's more, it's going to look worse if I knew and let this go."

The silence hung between them for so long, Elsa thought the woman hung up. After a few moments, she spoke up.

"They don't have to know you know."

"Elsa…"

"No, just tell them you couldn't get ahold of me," she reasoned, "That you left me a long message but I didn't pick up."

There was another pause.

"They're going to find you eventually."

"I know," Elsa said, ready to admit defeat, "But…you know how much this means to me. What would you do if it was Rapunzel in Anna's place?"

It was a cheap shot, and Elsa knew it. But desperate times called for desperate measures. And the woman's thick breathing on the other end told her that she was slowly, but surely, conceding to the girl's faulted logic.

"I really, really should know better than to do this…"

Elsa held her breath.

"But…I can't say that I wouldn't have done the same thing. So, fine, we will act like this conversation never happened."

Elsa chuckled in relief, "Thank you so much."

The woman's voice became stern, "However, I'm not helping you beyond that. When they find you and Anna, you're on your own."

'_I'm not going to let that happen,' _Elsa thought to herself.

"Also," she said, "Don't think your mother or father will leave this alone. They were adamant about getting Anna back. They won't avow as easily as I did."

"I know," Elsa said, "But I'll deal with that when the time comes."

The woman sighed, "This is really against my better judgment. Just, please, take care of Anna, alright?"

"Yes," Elsa said, "I'll make sure to do that."

Just as she hung up, Anna started to stir.

"Are we there yet?" The girl muttered, stretching her arms and sitting up.

"No…not yet," Elsa said, realizing that she had no idea where 'there' was, exactly.

"Are we gonna be there soon?" Anna asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, "It's hot and smelly in there."

"I don't know," Elsa said, looking out the window.

"I'm hungry," Anna said, pulling at Elsa's braid.

The older girl sighed, vowing to get off the train at the next town. She asked the conductor; they were only one state over, but she figured that was far enough that they could at least get some food and supplies before getting back on the train.

As the train lurched to a stop, Elsa dug a hat and sunglasses out of her bag, putting them on her face before doing the same for Anna.

"Why do I have to wear these?" Anna whined as she took Elsa's hand.

"Because," Elsa said, leading Anna onto the platform. "Because I said so," she offered as it was the only excuse she could come up with.

The two went to a hot dog stand not too far from the train station. Anna ate her food while Elsa was leaned over a train route map, trying to decide where the two should go.

"Where are we going?" Anna asked, shoving the last of her hot dog bun into her mouth.

"That's a good question," Elsa muttered, tracing her finger along the roads. Anything in the Midwest would be too close; too many small towns with too few people for them to hide out. New England was too expensive to live in, and the southwest was too far.

"We should go to Disney," Anna said, wiping her hands off on a napkin.

Elsa stared at her blankly. She'd forgotten that Anna still didn't know that this wasn't a trip, but a runaway. She'd need to be told, eventually. But Elsa had to deal with the technicalities first.

But then she realized, that wasn't a bad idea. Florida was a little far, sure, but not as far as the west coast. And from what she heard, it was heavily populated enough that her and Anna couldn't be distinguished from the crowd.

Plus, Anna would have the idea in her head that they were on vacation, so she wouldn't have to tell the girl outright to lie.

She'd eventually find out there was no Disney trip, but they'd unload that ship when it came to shore.

"Alright," Elsa said, closing the map, "We're going to Disney."


	26. My Little Runaway

In the days it took to get from the Midwest to the Southeast, Elsa had been stopped at almost every train station to ask if she needed help, or was lost, or looking for anyone. She was hoping she didn't look as clueless as she felt, but she always had a hard time hiding her anxieties.

She couldn't help but feel restless; every voice was that of a police officer, every glance at her was someone who recognized her, every hand on her shoulder was that of her mother, or worse, her father, ready to sock her in the jaw and drag Anna away screaming and crying. Her worries were for nothing, of course, although she had every reason to be on her toes.

It was relieving that she didn't need an ID to purchase a train ticket, or anything else the two may have needed. Her phone buzzed non-stop for hours at a time as she received frantic texts and calls from everyone; Eleanor, Bulda and her husband, even Rapunzel and Josephine (who she assumed was still attempting to keep up the charade) wondering where her and Anna were. Asking if they were alright. Warning her that the police were on high alert and every airport and bus station in the mid-west had their information.

The calls and messages went unanswered, but certainly not unforgotten. She was glad she at least had the sense to use a mode of transportation that was rather unusual in this day and age. But knew enough to realize that she wasn't off the hook. They would catch up to her, eventually. And she'd have to figure out how to make sure that didn't happen.

She decided to leave that up in the air until she got to Florida. That, and how she would explain to Anna that they weren't, in fact, going to Disney World.

xXx

After a week of travel, both girls looked grubby and exhausted. Not having the resources to clean their clothes, they'd run out of everything by the seventh day. It was at that point where Elsa decided that they'd need to stop somewhere for one night; long enough to at least clean themselves and get a decent night's sleep. When the train stopped outside of Atlanta, they got off and walked to a nearby motel that was seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully, it was a lower class and run-down looking place with a low nightly rate and no questions about identity asked.

"That'll be $59 dollars even for tonight, but that will double after 11 AM if you choose to stay," the woman behind the reception desk said.

Elsa reached into her wallet, and as she pulled out three twenties, she realized that her money supply was running dangerously low. She handed the money over the counter, realizing that the receptionist didn't look a day over fourteen.

"We'll probably leave around nine," she said, "We have a train to catch."

"Well, alright," the woman said, offering a smile as she handed Elsa a room key, "You'll be in room twelve. My name is Snow if you need anything. Enjoy your stay!"

"Thank you," Elsa replied, picking up her bags with one hand and taking Anna's with the other.

The older girl could feel her sister's eyes on her as they walked down the hall, and they didn't move as she unlocked the door and they went inside. Elsa threw their bags on the floor and fell face first into the bed, the days of exhaustion catching up with her. She felt her muscles tense against the fabric of the duvet, which, surprisingly enough, was clean. In fact, the entire room was much cleaner than she'd expected.

"They must have an excellent cleaning staff," Elsa muttered to herself, secretly relieved that her mouth wasn't laced with mothballs as she laid atop the bed.

She felt her weight shift to one side, which was followed by a grunt from her sister.

"Elsa, why are we sleeping here?"

"Because," Elsa said, sitting herself up, "It was closest to the train station."

Anna looked down, staring at her chewed up fingernails.

"Why aren't we at Disney yet?" she asked after a minute.

"It takes a while to get there," Elsa responded, still a little surprised that Anna hadn't figured out what was going on to any extent.

The girl jumped off the bed, kicking her shoes off her feet.

"I wanna take a bath," she said, examining her hands, "Cos we haven't in days."

Elsa chuckled, "I thought you hated taking baths."

"I do," the girl said, shrugging, "But I smell."

Anna was right. Neither of them had used more than body spray since they left their home, and although they had become accustomed to it, she couldn't imagine how they looked and smelled to other people.

"Alright," Elsa said, following Anna into the bathroom to get her some of the soaps kept around the sink, "But straight to bed after that. We have to get up in the morning."

xXx

Elsa couldn't sleep. Anna had been tucked in a while ago, and she tried to get to sleep soon after, but at no avail. She now sat in a chair by the window, her phone in her hand. She was scrolling through her texts, deleting them one by one, trying to ignore the pleading that gradually appeared between the lines.

"_We just want to know you're safe."_

Delete.

"_We're just worried about you."_

Delete.

"_Rapunzel is worried sick."_

Delete.

Once her inbox was empty, she moved onto her voicemail, deleting each message as she heard the first word of each. She got down to the last one, from Bulda, about five hours prior. She accidentally hit the wrong button, putting the phone on speaker instead of erasing the message.

"_Elsa Anderson, you must've lost the good sense the Lord gave you to keep going wherever it is you're going. We haven't heard from you in days. We're worried sick…especially Kristoff. I couldn't lie to him, you know. He figured it out. And he's barely slept or ate since. He misses Anna and he's worried about her. And so am I. We all are. Please, just come home. We can clean up the mess and try to fix it…."_

The woman sighed, her voice breaking before the message continued.

"_I get that you were scared. We've all been there. And sure, you made a mistake. But it doesn't matter. We all still love you. You and Anna both have a home here. So come back to it. Please." _

The message died with a "beep," and Elsa sighed, letting the phone drop to the floor.

"What was that?"

Elsa jolted upright, seeing Anna crawling from where she was to the other edge of the bed.

"Uh, nothing. It was just…" she trailed off, trying to think of a convincing lie.

Anna slumped down from the bed, walking over to her older sister.

"Elsa? We're not really going to Disney, are we?"

She knew that Anna would figure it out eventually, and didn't give the girl enough credit. The older girl took a breath, reaching over for Anna to crawl into her lap.

Once she was settled, Elsa rubbed her own eyes, trying to think of how to phrase this.

"No, Anna, we're not going to Disney. At least…not right now."

Anna slumped against Elsa's chest, looking up at her.

"Are we running away?"

Elsa nodded, "Yeah, Anna, we are."

"Why?"

"Because," Elsa said, feeling the tears rising in her eyes, "Because mom and dad are back. And they want you to live with them again."

She felt Anna's body go stiff in her arms.

"But I don't wanna live with them," she said, her voice cracking.

"I know," Elsa said, hiccups crawling along her throat, "That's why we left."

The girl seemed to deflate in her hold, as if the events of the last week finally came together in that moment.

"We weren't allowed to leave, were we?"

"No," Elsa said, unable to conceal her sobs, "We weren't. I'm sorry Anna, I didn't think I had any other choice…" she trailed off, realizing she was still making excuses, "But that wasn't the right thing to do. I see that now."

She held her sister's small body against her own, a surge of tears soaking the top of the girl's head. She could feel the girl's chest quivering.

"I'm going to fix it," Elsa said, pulling away and drying the girl's eyes, "I promise. I don't know if going back is the right solution, or if we should just keep going."

She sighed, realizing, again, that she was making all of the choices for her sister.

In probably the biggest breach of judgment she'd shown in the last week, she said, "If you want to go back, we will. But if you want to go to Florida, we'll do that."

Anna sniffled, her eyes glowing with tears and moonlight.

"I miss Kristoff, and Rapunzel and all my friends," she said, "I kinda wanna go back."

She paused, rubbing her nose, "But you're my best friend out of everyone. And…and I don't want you to get in trouble."

Elsa bit her lip. She was afraid of that, and knew that was a very real possibility upon her return.

"And you're sad all the time now, and I don't like that."

"You want to go home, don't you?"

Anna nodded, "Yeah. I do."

Elsa pulled Anna against her, fully embracing her more than she had in a while.

"I promise Anna, I'm going to try my best to fix this. No matter what it takes."

That seemed to appease her, because her tears were replaced with a smile and a secure and loving hug. Elsa stood from the chair, walking to the bed.

"Alright, we need to get to sleep. We have to get up early."

She tucked the girl into bed, sliding into the sheets beside her.

She kissed Anna on the forehead, saying, "I promise, I'm going to make this right."

As she finally dozed off, she realized that she really needed to stop making promises that she couldn't keep.


	27. End Of The Road

**AN: That last chapter was meant to go up last night, but the site was giving me so much trouble. So here's the chapter that was going to go up earlier today! **

The phone vibrating against the hardwood of the floor is what woke Elsa up. She didn't have the energy to get up and shut it off, so she rolled back over, trying to get back to sleep. But whoever was on the other end of the line didn't seem to want to give up. Eventually, she threw the covers over her head, grabbing it off the floor. When she saw it was Josephine, she sighed, opting to defer this conversation until later, when they were closer to home. She shoved it into her purse, the vibrations muffled by all of her belongings.

Once they were both awake, it didn't take long to get ready. None of their clothes ended up getting cleaned, so they put on the outfits they'd worn the day before, packing the rest of their things tightly in their bags.

"I bet you can't wait to have clean clothes again, can you?" Elsa asked.

The quivering of her ragged breath betrayed her anxiety so much that she couldn't even convince herself of her of her own lies. At this point, Elsa had no idea what she would say or do when she got back. She would start with getting Anna properly dressed and disposing of any evidence of their hectic road trip. She had to call Josephine; she had no other choice. She was sure the weasel would be at her doorstep in no time, along with her parents. For the time being, she was going to go with the story that she was taking Anna to Disney World, but ran out of money and had to come back home. It wasn't full-proof, and even sounded false on her lips, even more so when she had Anna repeat it. Lying was wrong, she knew it, and had no idea if it would even work. But for now, it was the only plan she had, and she had to make it work.

She'd even promised Anna it would. It _had _to work.

xXx

It only took them two days to get back home. One way trains had no other stops, so it didn't take as long as she'd thought. She'd hoped it would take longer, because the damage she'd caused wasn't anything she was prepared to deal with.

Once their train stopped right outside of Andover, they gathered their belongings and went up to the information counter. The man at their last station said she could get a refund for the ticket she'd purchased for Florida at their final destination.

"Hi," Elsa said, setting her purse on the counter, "I'm looking to get a refund on one of my tickets?"

"Receipt," the man said, extending his hand, not looking up from his portable television. Elsa reached into her purse, unfolding the pamphlet with the ticket inside. The man looked up as she placed the bundle in his palm. His eyes lingered on her face a little too long, glancing from her to the back of his desk.

"Excuse me," he said, standing up, "Wait here please."

She could feel her body go cold, as everything seemed to turn to ice at her touch. She tried to keep her breathing steady as not to alarm Anna, trying to tell herself that it was nothing. She reached into her bag to pull out her phone, hoping that deleting more messaged might prove to be a distraction. There were a lot of them; every single one from Josephine.

She wanted to ignore it, but knew it was important. The woman would not have called her repeatedly if there wasn't cause for concern. She opened her voicemail, scrolling through to the first message that had been left days ago.

"_Elsa, please, for Christs' sake, answer the phone."_

Even through the static filled message, the woman sounded as if she were on the verge of a meltdown.

"_I don't know if you know this, but the police tracked your phone and know where you are."_

"Shit!" Elsa said out loud. She forgot about that.

"_But right now, that is the least of your problems. Your father took an awful turn. He went livid, destroyed my office, beat up officer Fah and your mother…Elsa, wherever you are, get out of there, now. He was taken into police custody but broke out early yesterday afternoon. I just found out this morning... People around town have seen him. He's looking for you. And Anna."_

She had to use the counterto keep her body from collapsing.

"Elsa, are you alright?" Anna asked. The older girl looked down to see that she'd hit her elbow on the sharp edge, causing it to bleed.

'I'm fine,' she mouthed, returning to the message.

"_Elsa, if by any chance you decided to come back, don't do it. Stay where you are and do not come anywhere near this place. Go to the police just to be safe. We'll deal with the legalities later. Just tell them what happened. They'll protect both of you. Please." _

She hit the "END CALL" button on her phone, slamming it onto the counter. She looked over to see the man on the phone, describing Elsa's appearance. And by the vulgar way he was speaking, it was clear, he was not speaking to the police.

"Anna," Elsa said, grabbing her sister by the shoulders, "We have to go. Now."

"Where are we going?" she asked, her heels scraping against the concrete.

"Just go!" she yelled, taking Anna by the hand and running in the opposite direction from the train station.

"Hey, come back here!" the man called.

Elsa didn't even acknowledge him. She just pushed her feet to keep running until the station lights were a blur in the background of Anna's cries and her own pulsing veins.

xXx

Her first mistake was coming home. Her second mistake was leaving her phone at the train station. It was the most obvious place she could go, and had absolutely no way to call for help. It was Saturday night; her neighbor Tiana and her husband were at her parent's house, and her other neighbor, Esmeralda, taught ballroom on the weekends. Maybe the old man above her, Giuseppe, would hear her; but he'd probably think her to be another voice belonging to his puppets.

She shut the door and locked it, placing a nearby chair against it for good measure. She stumbled into the living room, her feet staggering over the tiles.

Anna would not stop crying. She wasn't even crying anymore; she was screaming, cowering, seemingly having an anxiety attack of her own, and wouldn't respond when Elsa told her to keep it down.

She didn't know how many times she told her to stop making so much noise. She felt her anger as much as she did her hypocrisy as she screamed at the girl to keep it down. Anna either didn't hear or didn't listen, as much traumatized by Elsa's panic as she was by some premonition telling her that something was wrong.

"Anna," Elsa said, trying one last time to get the girl's attention, "Anna!"

When the girl screeched at her to shut up, Elsa stalked over, grabbing Anna by her shoulders and yanking her off the couch.

"Anna!" she yelled in her face, "Stop your crying right now! You're making this worse!"

"You're hurting me!" the girl cried.

"Do you want our father to find us!?" Elsa screamed more than asked, "He's looking for us right now and if he's around here he's going to hear you crying!"

Their yelling match was brought to an abrupt halt by a loud and hard bang against the door. Elsa dropped Anna's arms, her fury leaving her in one breath as fear stealthily took its place. She could feel Anna deflate as well, her body trembling even more than it was before.

Neither girl had time to run or react; Anna clung to Elsa's side as the older girl took a step back as the door was jolted out of its frame, shards of wood flinging everywhere.

She placed her hand on Anna's head, praying to God, Jesus, whatever force out there to protect the both of them.

It was no good, she realized, as a figure approached her from the night. Even God himself couldn't stop this wreck already in motion.

"Elsa, give her over. Now."


	28. An Act Of True Love

**AN: Sorry this took so long. Been sick. Also, I don't normally do this, but if any of you are triggered by violence, be wary reading this chapter. **

"You heard me," he said when Elsa didn't respond, "Give me my daughter, now."

Although he didn't issue any threats explicitly, the tone in his voice pieced the sensitive skin around her temples, forcing sharp bits of glass to puncture the lobes of her brain. She couldn't move or speak, as she'd spill and slip in her own blood. Even the hand that had been protecting her younger sister became limp and useless at her side.

Anna cowered against the back of her legs as the man closed the space between them in four steps.

"Elsa, I'm not asking you again."

It was as if he'd killed her, and he hadn't laid a hand on her yet. She couldn't feel her body, she couldn't feel the heat that was escaping her body, but rather saw it fuse into the cloud above her father's head.

Anna pinched her legs tighter.

She could have sworn her tongue fell out of her mouth and her eyes were hanging by slick threads.

Her father's eyes glowered, even in the absolute darkness.

She'd shaken every organ from her body; even the freckles on her cheeks had fallen to the ground, hiding behind her sister's body.

"Elsa, last warning…"

It was the same thing he'd used to say when she as a kid; when he threatened to hit her or held a bottle over her head. She should have felt like the same frightened child; she should have broken down, hyperventilating in the corner; she even should have tried to hide, behind the couch, in a closet, even between the straps of her purse.

She didn't know what came over her. She was used to backing down when she was threatened. But in the absence of common sense and safety, something else took hold in her mind: a monster.

"No."

The word hung in the air between them, gritty and hard as the mouth that it came from.

"What was that?"

"No," Elsa said again, her teeth grinding into her squinting eyes, "No, you're not getting her. You'll have to kill me first."

He smirked, "Well, that can certainly be arranged."

She pushed Anna out of the way before her father's fist smacked against her cheek.

"Elsa!" the girl cried, her voice panicked.

The older girl struggled to get to her feet, shoving her out of the way and towards the hall.

"Get out of here Anna!" she yelled as her father regained his footing, coming in her direction again. She didn't have a chance to ensure that she did before he aimed between her eyes, but fortunately, missed.

Elsa surprised herself as she managed to dodge almost every punch and slap that came her way, even fighting back with a strength she didn't even know she'd possessed. True, he was bigger and stronger than her. But she was so driven in her fear and anger that she was able to hold him back.

She wouldn't have Anna's blood on her hands. Not anymore.

"You've ruined my life for the last time," he gritted, grabbing her wrists.

"And you've hurt Anna and me for the last time," she barked, trying to pull away.

With a smirk, and hardly any effort, he threw her back against the wall, her head slamming against the dry wall.

"Is that the best you've got?" she said, her eyes started to spin and a trail of blood falling down her nose, "I've fought homeless children tougher than you."

She struggled to get to her feet, landing right back on her hands and knees, too disoriented to pull herself back up. She was so lost in her dizziness, she didn't see her father's foot aim towards her stomach, but felt the impact as soon as it connected with her sensitive flesh.

Blood was rising in her throat, at least, that's what it tasted like.

"Elsa!" she heard someone cry from a distance. It could have been her imagination. As her father raised his fist to strike her again, she heard the voice come, louder, "ELSA!"

As the cries became more frantic, she realized she wasn't imagining the voice.

"Anna," Elsa mustered as she saw her sister run back down the hall, "Get out of here! What are you doing?"

The girl paid her and their frantic father no mind as she ran between their trembling figures.

"Leave Elsa alone!" the girl screamed, pushing against her father's legs.

He scoffed, "Anna, if you don't get out of the way –."

"Stop hurting her!" the girl cried, pounding against his knees as hard as she could.

Elsa tried to pull herself off of the ground to get her sister away from their livid father.

"Anna if you don't knock it off this second I swear to God I'll –."

"I'll go with you, okay?!"

Both Elsa and their father froze at the girl's words. Her tiny fists shook against her sides as tears fell down her cheeks.

"I'll go live with you and mama again. Just stop hurting Elsa, please!"

Her last word, 'please,' hung in the air between the three of them, like a sacrificial lamb spewing blood and entails, outlining the conflicting emotions that no one could seem to vocalize.

"What?" their father said, looking at his youngest daughter incredulously.

"I promise," Anna said, her words breaking along with her voice, "I won't runaway, or be bad, or tell people on you or nothing. Just stop hurting Elsa."

"Anna," the older girl said, limply touching her shoulder, "You don't have to do this."

The girl turned around, tears and snot pouring down her flushed cheeks.

"Elsa he hurt you!" she cried out between sobs, "And it's not okay to hurt people. And we should help people we love if they're being hurt. You taught me that."

It's true, she had said that, many times, in reference to their custody situation. Or when the neighbor kids threw rocks at Sven. Or when Merida was being picked on by third graders. She hadn't meant to this extreme, not by a long shot.

"Anna, you can't go back with him," Elsa said, lowering her voice, "He's just going to hurt you again. And I won't allow that, even if it means…." She chocked on her words.

"But Elsa," the girl said, sniffling, "You did a lot of nice things for me. And took care of me. And kept him from hurting me…"

Anna looked at her father, absolute terror sinking into her pale blue eyes.

"No," Elsa said.

Anna and their father both looked to her as she pulled herself to her feet, pushing Anna behind her again.

"You can hurt me, and you can beat the hell out of me, and you can threaten me all you want," her eyes fell to her shaking sister, patting her head, "But I'm not going to let Anna fight you for me." She turned to Anna, "Anna, get out of here, now."

"If you send her out of this room one more time," their father said, pointing a sharp finger in her face, "I will kick your ass like I should have when you were a kid."

She shoved Anna towards the door.

"I'll let your throw the first punch."

He never got the chance.

Just as he reeled his hand back, a shout and bang came from the hallway.

"Police!" yelled a voice, that would turn out to be Officer Shang, "Nobody move!"

As her father was surrounded at gun point, Elsa saw her body slip against the wall, landing on the floor. She watched herself cry tears of blood, wet her pants, and convulse into fetal position while other police officers loaded her onto a stretcher while injecting what was likely a sedative into the vein on the back of her hand.

There were other things she didn't watch. She didn't watch her father have to be forcibly restrained after biting Officer Shang. She didn't watch the Weasel interrogate the neighbors as to the sisters' whereabouts leading up to this incident.

Most of all, she couldn't watch as some woman who wasn't Josephine tear Anna's hands away from the wall. Anna, who was screaming for Elsa. Anna, who was crying and throwing a tantrum. Anna, who Elsa wouldn't realize until she came to the next day, was being taken away from her. For good.


	29. Flying Solo

**AN: Roughly three chapters, including this one, left of our adventure. This one's gonna be pretty intense. And long. Hence why the update took 84 years. Buckle up kids, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.**

Elsa didn't know where she was when she woke up. At least, not right away. As her eyes came into focus, she saw a white room, wrapped in a sheet. Officer Shang was standing right outside the door, almost as if she were guarding the room. She sat up, realizing that her arms, leg and stomach were wrapped in gauze and there was an IV in her arm pumping morphine through her body.

"Oh Elsa, thank God you're alright."

She turned to see Bulda sitting in a chair near the bed, looking as if she was just waking up herself.

"Wha…what's going on? What happened? Where's Anna?"

The woman looked down, taking a pause and a deep breath before speaking.

"I don't want to be the one to have to tell you this, but…"

"Hello," said a woman who barged into the room without so much as a knock, "Elsa Anderson I presume?"

She nodded, "Where's my sister?"

"My name is Mrs. Tremaine," the woman said, completely ignoring her question, "I'm going to be handling your case from this point onward."

Elsa sat up straighter, "What happened to Josephine?"

The woman pulled out her notepad, reviewing her notes and paying Elsa no mind. She took a better look at the woman, whose features were so sharp and animal like that she figured the glare was as permanent a fixture on her face as her claws on her fingertips.

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss that with you," Mrs. Tremaine said.

Elsa opened her mouth to ask another question, but was immediately cut off.

"Well, seems you've gotten yourself into quite a bit of trouble, Ms. Anderson," she said, not an ounce of warmth in her voice, "Kidnapping your sister, fleeing the state border. Lucky the judge has decided not to press charges."

Elsa let go of the breath she didn't realize she was holding. She knew that was a risk when taking Anna, and was lucky that she wouldn't be going to jail.

"Well…where is Anna?"

Mrs. Tremaine flipped a few pages on her notepad, consulting a form paper clipped to it.

"Oh yes. Seems as if she was moved into a foster home late last night. She's not old enough for a group home but these people take in foster kids frequently."

'_Foster home?' _she shouted in her head, _'No!'_

She didn't realize she'd said that aloud until she saw Mrs. Tremaine glaring at her with disdain.

"Ms. Anderson, I don't think you realize the severity of the situation you have gotten yourself into," she chided, "Your father is back in jail, you ran away with your sister, putting her danger, putting her in danger again by engaging her in a conflict with your father…" she trailed off, turning back to her notepad, "You should consider yourself lucky that this is the current outcome."

Elsa could feel Bulda slip a comforting arm around her shoulder, but every fiber of her existence was focused on one thing.

"What should I do?"

The woman wrote a few more notes before snapping her pad shut.

"Anna is technically a ward of the state as of right now. It'll be up to the judge where we go from here. You are to have no contact with your sister until I receive word from him, is that clear?"

She forced her head up and down, trying to process everything that was happening enough to maybe figure out exactly what she should do.

When she looked up to ask another question, the social worker was gone.

xXx

Elsa stayed in the hospital for a few more days to make ensure that there were no complications to her injuries. She also found out that Officer Shang was staying with her for protection, not to catch her if she tried to run away. (Everyone seemed to have more faith in her than she had for herself).

The only visitors she had over that time were Bulda and Kristoff. Kristoff seemed depressed without Anna, and Bulda avoided answering any questions Elsa asked about her immediate personal life. She hadn't heard from or seen Rapunzel or Josephine, which was really unusual. She'd thought at first that maybe she wasn't allowed guests, but realized how stupid that was considering Bulda was a staple at her side.

But that, surprisingly, was the least of her worries. Her main concern, other than Anna, of course, was when she'd see her mother again. It was inevitable, especially with Anna's custody so up in the air. Their last meeting had been on such rotten terms, and she didn't expect much better this time.

Bulda had left her alone for a while to gather her things and get herself together when Officer Shang came into the room.

"Elsa?" he said, his head peeking in the door.

"Yes?"

He came in, shutting the door behind him.

"There's someone that wants to see you…and I wanted to see if you were up for it."

She could tell by the tone in his voice that it likely wasn't a guest she was aching to see, but was not in the mood to deal with any form of conflict or resistance.

"Yeah, it's fine," she said.

She didn't know why she was so surprised to see her mother. She'd expected her eventually, but she wasn't prepared for 'eventually' to be this soon.

Elsa took a step backwards, hoping that her mother wouldn't try to hurt her. Fortunately, she stayed near the door, which she noted was cracked open. She figured Officer Shang wouldn't let her overstep any boundaries after what happened.

"Well, I hope you're happy," her mother said, her face void of all emotion but anger, "I really hope you're happy with what's happened."

"Look," Elsa said, completely dejected, "I'm tired. Just don't start."

The woman crossed her arms, "I have every right to start, Elsa. That's my daughter you dragged all over the eastern seaboard and put in harm's way."

"Well, you never seemed to care about that before," Elsa countered.

The door slammed shut and was followed by pointed footsteps across the room. She didn't realize her mother was at her side until her chin was pinched between her index finger and thumb.

"I don't think you get it," her mother said, "She is not your daughter, nor was she ever yours. She is mine. I gave birth to her."

Elsa pushed her away, rubbing the soft skin of her jaw.

"Being a birth giver doesn't entitle you to anything."

The silence hung between them for quite some time. Her mother had never been anything but passive, and it was weird to see her with such a backbone. At least, while she was sober.

Figuring she had nothing to lose, she asked, "What's going to happen to Anna? The social worker wouldn't tell me."

The woman sighed, "I don't know. No one will tell me anything either."

The smugness in her voice indicated that she was lying and just didn't want to tell her. Elsa had to fight the urge to jump across the room and knock her to the ground, but only because she was so physically weak.

"I will say," she said as she turned to the door, "That I really hope her foster home is as nice as Mr. Wesselton claimed it was. If anything happens to her, it's on your shoulders."

xXx

Bulda tried to engage her in conversation the entire ride home, but it was at no avail. Elsa was too nervous, and too busy thinking about Anna.

'_If anything happens to her, it's on your shoulders.'_

She knew she shouldn't let her mother be so accusatory, especially considering what she let Anna endure the first five years of her life. But the truth of those words rattled her to the core. It was her fault. If she hadn't run off with Anna, there was a chance she'd still have her. Neither of them would have been thrown into that conflict with their father, and Elsa wouldn't have been half beaten to death. But most of all, Anna, wherever she would be, wouldn't be in some mysterious foster home with people that could be hurting her, demeaning her, or even worse things that Elsa wouldn't allow herself to think about.

"I can get in myself," Elsa said when Bulda pulled into the parking lot of her apartment complex.

"Are you sure?" the woman asked as she pulled into a spot near her front door, "I mean, you haven't been back here since…you know…are you sure you'll be okay?"

Elsa nodded, "Yes, I'm sure. I just need some time alone."

That excuse was so phony, even Bulda didn't seem to buy it. With only two guests, excluding the police officers, her mother, and the social worker, Elsa had nothing but alone time. But, if she objected, she didn't say anything, opting to respect the girl's wishes.

"You know where to call if you need me for anything," she said as Elsa gathered her purse and patient belongings bag.

"Thank you," she said, shutting the car door.

She slowly made her way to the door of her apartment, digging her keys out of her purse. Officer Shang had assured her that apartment management had taken care of the damages in the days she'd been in the hospital, and that it should look exactly as it did before. She didn't have the heart to tell him how wrong he was. It wouldn't look exactly the same. Anna wouldn't be there, running around the halls, leaving pillows and dirty clothes everywhere, spilling paint and dropping books. Her presence would visibly be gone from the house, and that presence was the only thing that gave it any light. She didn't say that, though, because it sounded cliché, even in her head.

She took her time with opening the door, not ready to face that empty space alone.

Officer Shang was right; it was cleaned up. It looked as though that one day never even happened; no blood on the walls, no scuff marks, even the furniture that had been damaged was haphazardly re-assembled with tape. From an outside perspective, it looked the same. But as Elsa stood, leaning against the doorway, she knew it wasn't. It wasn't a home anymore, it was just an apartment.

Just as she was about to go inside and shut the door, she heard footsteps come up behind her.

"I would've come to visit you at the hospital, but I figured even you deserved that much privacy."

'_Is that…it couldn't be…'_

Elsa hoped and prayed her ears had just heard wrong, but when she turned around, she was met by that short brown hair, a sharp smirk, and those once bright feldgrau eyes staring daggers into her own.

"Rapunzel," Elsa said, astonished, "Hi, I haven't seen you since –."

"I know," she said, her tone harsh, "And to be honest, I shouldn't even be here now."

"I don't understand," Elsa said, lowering her bags, "What's going on."

Rapunzel crossed her arms, saying nothing.

"Listen," she said, "If this is about running off with Anna, I know, I know, it was a really stupid thing to do. I just wasn't thinking and –."

"My mother lost her job," Rapunzel said, cutting her off.

"No," Elsa said, barely a whisper.

"Yeah, funny story," Rapunzel said, "Turns she knew exactly where you were and what you were doing and you somehow convinced her to cover for you. The thing is, my mother isn't a very good liar, and it would be very easy for anyone to guilt her into doing something for them if they played at her heartstrings enough."

The two stood silent for a while.

"She loved that job," Rapunzel said, her voice cracking, "She got fired the day you got back to town. She was devastated. It crushed her. Did this possibility even hit you when you made her do this? Or were you too self-absorbed to think about anyone but yourself?"

"I'm sorry!" Elsa cried, biting back tears, "I didn't think that any of this would happen. I panicked. I couldn't take a chance at anything happening to Anna."

"Oh save it!" Rapunzel said, her voice full of spite, "If you were that concerned for Anna's well-being, you would have thought things through before you acted on impulse. You could have come to any of us for help. You had options, Elsa! But…but that's classic for you, right? Run away from your problems and let other people deal with the aftermath, am I right?"

Those words hit harder than Rapunzel ever could have realized. Even though Elsa knew she was completely right, it was like turning a knife into an already open and fatal wound.

"Well guess what? When you do that, other people get hurt. My mother, for instance. Or what about all the people who care about you and were worried sick? What about Anna, who loves you so much that she would have went along with any stupid thing you did, even if it got her hurt in the process, which I saw it did."

Both girls were in tears, hysterical.

"What about me, Elsa?" she said, her voice breaking in two, "Huh. I thought you trusted me enough to let me help you –."

"What was I supposed to do?" Elsa barked, suddenly sick of everyone blaming her for everything that went awry, "I didn't have any other choices."

"Bullshit!" Rapunzel screamed, unable to control her temper, "You could have if you tried hard enough, but running away was the easiest thing you could do, so you did that. Well congratulations, everyone got screwed over because of it!"

"You think I don't know that?!" Elsa screamed, completely breaking down, "You think I don't realize how bad I messed up? I messed up. I get that. I know. And I'm sorry. I don't know what everyone wants from me!"

Rapunzel took a deep breath, trying to collect herself.

"Some things aren't fixable, Elsa, and there's nothing you can do about it."

She knew Rapunzel wasn't just talking about the situation with Anna, or her mother's job, or anything else anymore except their relationship. Because that bond, whatever it had been, was irretrievably destroyed.

"I love you," Elsa said, figuring she had nothing left to lose.

A look of disgust crossed Rapunzel's face, at the connotation of Elsa's words or the mere vie for her affection, she wasn't sure.

Either way, she knew her words were falling on deaf ears as Rapunzel turned around, leaving her.

"Goodbye Elsa," she said, "You're on your own now."


End file.
